


Sometimes It Rains

by Izzyface, MISSYriver



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Actor AU, Angst, Dad/Father Issues, Donna Smoak/Quentin Lance (minor), F/M, Friends as Family, Oliver Queen/Laurel Lance (one-sided), One Night Stands, Oral Sex, SMUTTY SMUT, Time Jump, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-10 00:43:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzyface/pseuds/Izzyface, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MISSYriver/pseuds/MISSYriver
Summary: Life happens fast. But we live through it slow.





	1. 01

**Author's Note:**

> Uh, yeah... This happened. It just sort of got in my head and wouldn't shut up. And MISSYriver helped organize it all, so even though she would deny she's a co-author, she is. And fantastic beta. 
> 
> I'm expected 7-10 parts on this total. I don't really want to say more, as it would give away the plot. Just that... actions have consequences. As you all know. See you in the comments.

* * *

It’d been a good night.

Strike that. It’d been a _great_ night.

But all great nights must come to an end, Felicity Smoak told herself. And she’d have another birthday next year. Not that it would top this one. Her two closest friends, Barry Allen and Iris West, had reserved one of the VIP booths at Verdant, the hottest club in downtown Starling. Caitlin and Ronnie Raymond had driven up from Central City to celebrate with her, and Felicity had danced the night away with a tall, dark stranger.

Now it was just after midnight and she’d said goodnight to her friends. Her last drink was over two hours ago and since then she’d been debating stopping at Helix, one of her old haunts. Cayden was working tonight and he knew how to make the margaritas strong. She’d talked to him a few days ago and he’d promised her caramel empanadas if she came in on her birthday.

_Why not?_ she wondered. Felicity had nowhere to be in the morning.

When she walked in with her three inch heels and sparkling gold mini dress, everyone noticed her. She’d waited tables and delivered drinks in this place every summer since she turned eighteen, so most of the regulars just smiled and waved. Some of the non-regulars did too. And then there was _him._ She saw him undress her with his eyes, and she smirked in his direction.

It’d been a long time since she’d been with a man and as tempting as Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome had been at Verdant, Felicity had left alone. It seemed like fate was giving her a second chance tonight.

Cayden had a strawberry margarita and a plate of empanadas waiting for her at the bar. She took a seat and carefully selected one. When caramel came out both ends, Felicity licked her fingers clean. The stranger who she had already mentally undressed came over.

“You missed some.” He licked his thumb and swiped against the edge of her mouth. Felicity watched as he sucked the caramel into his mouth. “Tastes good.”

She reached for her margarita, suddenly very thirsty. Who was this man? Was his sole purpose in life to turn her on?

“I’m Oliver,” he offered. He took the stool next to her. “You mind if I sit?”

Felicity lifted a shoulder to shrug. “Free country.” She eyed him over the rim of her glass. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“I used to be. I still have family in the area.”

“Oh.” She took another drink from her glass. “I’m Felicity.”

Oliver smiled. “What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

She snorted. That was a line if she’d ever heard one. “So if you don't live here, where do you live?”

“Los Angeles,” he answered. “What about you? Did you grow up around here?”

“Nope. Born and raised in Vegas, actually. My mom moved here about seven years ago after she married the Chief of Police. I followed after I graduated college, took a job in IT to be closer to them.”

“Hmmm.” Oliver drained what was left in his glass. He signaled for the bartender. “Can I get you another?”

She looked down and saw her melted ice. “Sure.” Felicity could see that he had money. More than likely he came from money. His clothes were casual but tailored. He had straight, white teeth and a watch she had only seen advertised in the high end magazines in her bosses office. She been interested in the Chopard watches for their exceptional reserved power and had been considering using a similar technology. And while lots of people had good dental hygiene, not a lot of people could afford a watch that on the low-end started at $6,000. And the watch Oliver was wearing wasn’t low-end. “So what do you do in L.A.?”

“I’m an actor.”

Of course he was. With his dirty blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, he looked like he could be the boy next door. If the job of the boy next door was to make your panties wet. “Anything I might have seen?”

“Not sure,” he replied. “I’m going to be the Green Arrow in the new _Justice Society of America_ movie coming out next month.”

“Is that like the Avengers?” she asked.

Oliver smirked into his vodka. “Something like that.”

“Sorry,” Felicity apologized. “I’m not much for TV unless it’s _Doctor Who, Stargate, or Battlestar Galactica._ And the last movie I saw in the theater was _Harry Potter_. _”_

He frowned. “That was… two years ago?”

“Yup,” she nodded. “I’ve been busy being an IT nerd. But it paid off, I just got a promotion at work.”

“Congratulations.” His smile was genuine. Oliver reached out and brushed her shoulder with his fingertips and Felicity felt sparks along her skin. From the look on his face, so did he.

“So you’re in town visiting family?” she asked scooting her stool closer to him.

“Yeah. My mom and sister.” He took another pull from his vodka with his free hand. “My dad is here too, but that relationship is…” He shook his head. “I start promoting _Justice Society_ next week, and it’s going to be a whirlwind from there. L.A., New York, San Diego for Comic-Con, and then overseas to London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Sydney. I have some filming commitments, too. Mom wants me home for Christmas, but I don’t know how I’m going to make that happen. I have no idea when I will be back in the area.”

Felicity nodded, not sure what to say. Clearly he was telling her all of this for a reason. Whatever happened between them was just for tonight. She was also distracted by the trail of fire his touch was causing along her exposed flesh. It had started with her shoulder, but he hadn’t stopped there. His hand was currently on her knee, tracing patterns on the skin.

She finished her margarita and signaled Cayden for another. Oliver was close enough she could smell his aftershave. Felicity lightly dropped her hand on his forearm watched in fascination as he lost his train of thought. She wonder if she was having the same effect on him as he had on her. She bit her lip and pressed her thigh against his leg causing his hand to slide up an inch. Felicity closed her eyes and let out a gasp.

The more they talked, the more they drank and the closer they got to each other. Felicity cut herself off after her third margarita. She knew she wouldn’t be able to drive herself home, but if this wasn’t going where she thought it was she’d call her Mom or Quentin to come get her instead.

As Oliver was following the hem of her dress with his fingers, he murmured into her ear, “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“You can ask, but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” She reached for the glass of water Cayden had just dropped in front of her sucking the straw between her lips. When she was satisfied he was watching she reached for another empanada. Maybe some food would soak up the tequila in her stomach.

“What’s your policy on one night stands?” His voice was playful.

She looked up at him from under her lashes. “Is that where this is going?”

Oliver skimmed his fingers beneath her dress. “It depends.”

“Oh really?” she replied. “On what?”

“Your answer to my question. What’s your policy on one night stands?”

Felicity shrugged. “I don’t have a policy, per se. But it is my birthday and I think every girl deserves birthday sex.”

“How old are you tonight, Felicity?” His fingers went further up her thigh.

“Twenty three.” She could feel him running his nails against the edges of her panties. “I assume you have protection?”

When he looked up and asked, “do you wanna get out of here?” Felicity had her answer. She missed his touch as soon as he pulled away and she bit her lip to keep from whimpering. She wasn’t a one night stand kind of girl, but for Oliver she would make an exception. She didn’t consider any other alternatives before she answered his question with a nod.

He studied her face, and whatever he found there seemed to satisfy him. He stood and dropped a handful of bills on the bar to cover their tab. “Call an Uber. I’m going to hit the head before we leave.” Felicity couldn’t help but watch him walk away. He had a nice ass too.

His name was Oliver. He had straight teeth, blue eyes, and a nice ass. Oh, and a Chopard watch. That’s the sum of what she knew about him. Was she really going to do this?

Yes… yes she was.

While he was gone, Felicity texted Iris about going home with someone and his general description. Just to be safe. She also made sure Cayden saw who she was leaving with. Cayden opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when Oliver returned. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed a kiss to her neck. “You ready, babe?”

“As I’ll ever be,” she responded automatically.

She wasn’t surprised when Oliver asked the driver to take them to the Kimpton. He didn’t exactly seem like a Holiday Inn Express kind of guy. Felicity considered protesting, since the Kimpton was in the city where she’d been earlier that night, but if things fell through she could always call Barry or Iris to come pick her up. The drive there was filled with touches and kisses, but he kept things on the PG-13 side in the back of the car. While they rode, she started to lose her buzz and began to second-guess what she was doing. But then she remembered it was her birthday and she’d only be young once.

One night stands were meant to be anonymous and regret free. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex. It was time to live a little. As long as they were safe and consensual, there was no reason they couldn’t have a good time. And Oliver definitely looked like he knew how to show a girl a good time.

When they arrived at the hotel, Felicity ran to the restroom while Oliver checked in at the front desk. He was holding a stack of messages when she returned. She pressed herself against his side and smiled up at him. “You ready?” he asked.

She nodded and wrapped her arm around his. They took the elevator to the top floor, both of them leaning against opposite walls. The sexual tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

He took her to a suite. The door was barely closed before Oliver had pushed her against it, his mouth against her ear. “I’ve wanted to do this all night.” He skipped right over first base, straight to second, and peeled down the top to her dress. She wasn’t wearing a bra and his lithe fingers gently explored her breast just as his tongue invaded her mouth.

Felicity was lost. She’d never been kissed like _that_ before. Not like her life depended on it. Oliver nipped at her lips as one hand held her against the door by the neck. When she opened for him, his tongue dove and immediately twirled around hers. Felicity groaned, the combination of his hands and his tongue causing fresh arousal to soak her panties.

He dropped his lips to the nipple he’d just plucked into a taunt peak and began to pull at the other one. It was just on the edge of pain, but Felicity liked it. Her teeth bit into her lip as she tried to hold back her moans.

“I want to hear you, baby,” he whispered hotly against her skin.

Oliver licked a strip down the middle of her breasts and swirled his tongue into her belly button. He sank to his knees in front of her, pulling her mini-dress down to expose more creamy white skin. Everywhere new that he saw, he laved with his tongue. She smelled like Ivory soap and something floral. He couldn’t place it, but he knew it would be burned into his memory forever.  

When he settled in front of her, his intentions clear she tried to pull him up from his shoulders. “You don’t have to. I don’t expect that.”

He pressed a kiss to her hip bone. “Honey, you couldn’t stop me at this point.” Oliver pressed his nose into the neatly trimmed hair there. “You smell so good.” Another kiss. “I bet you taste even better.”

She felt another rush of heat flood her. Felicity widened her stance. She put one hand in his hair and pulled him forward. “If you insist.”

“I do.” He spread her labia wide and licked up with the flat of his tongue. “Hmmm.” Using the tip of his tongue, he tapped repeatedly on her clitoris and grinned when she started to buck against his face. “It seems you like that, yes?”

She could feel his grin against her thigh. “No one likes an arrogant ass, Oliver. Back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He slid a finger inside of her and searched for the spot he knew would drive her wild. When he found it, he added a second finger and started lazily fucking her. He devoured her with his whole mouth, opening wide to slurp up everything pouring out of her. The thumb on the hand not inside of her was attached to her clitoris while he ran his face up and down. He traced her with his tongue from hole to hole, his goal to leave no part of her untouched. She had a unique flavor and Oliver wanted it all.

When he wiggled his tongue inside of her next to his fingers, Felicity broke in pieces. He took his hand off of her clitoris and held her against the door while he drank the juice gushing out. When Oliver pulled his fingers from her, her body made a spongy sound before releasing them. Felicity yelped, but Oliver proudly pressed a kiss on top of her wet opening. He was aching in his jeans, but he could wait a few more minutes. He wanted to savor this.

This time when she pulled against his shoulders, he let her. He kissed her again, dipping his tongue into her mouth, spreading her taste around. When she didn’t push him away, Oliver reached for the button on his pants.

“Bed,” she gasped into his mouth.

Oliver wasn’t going to argue with that logic. He carried her to the bed and laid her down. While she shimmied the dress down her legs he reached for the button on his pants. Before he tossed them to the side, he grabbed his wallet. Oliver always kept two condoms in there, but he knew that wasn’t going to be enough. Felicity was… she was different than anyone he’d ever met. “What’s your last name?”

“That’s not how this works,” she answered. She pushed up on her elbows and wrapped her hand around his dick. “No last names. We agreed.”

His eyes closed involuntarily. They had agreed, on the car ride over. But that was before. “B—but,” he protested.

Felicity wrapped her tongue around him and gave a few experimental licks. “If you’re still talking, I’m doing this wrong.”  

“I need to be inside you.” Oliver flipped his wallet open and grabbed one of the condoms. Just as he squinted at the expiration date, she hollowed her cheeks. “Fuck, Felicity!” He looked down to see her mouth stretched wide around him, one hand wrapped around his base, and the other fingering her clit. Whatever he was doing before was forgotten as he ripped the condom open with his teeth. “Lay back, baby.”

She eased off of him, and as soon as he was covered, Oliver was on her and then in her. Her tight channel gripped him and Oliver had to breathe through his nose and recite hockey statistics in his head to keep from losing it right there. When he was sure he was good, he pulled back and grinned at her.

“You feel fucking amazing.”

Felicity leaned up to kiss him, her tongue chasing his into his mouth. It was one of the few kisses she’d initiated the entire night. She rocked her hips against his when he pushed down. Her nails scratched down his back and settled against his ass. She’d been right at the bar. He did have a fine ass.

Before long they’d built up a steady tempo, when Oliver changed pace. He slowed things down, and started grinding down against her. He would swivel his hips and push against her clitoris each time he pulled back. Felicity cried out with each thrust. “Tell me I can see you again,” he asked. “This is too good to be a one time deal.”

She shook her head. “No.”

He ground down against her pelvis. “Say yes and I’ll let you come.”

Her blue eyes sparked with outrage. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I’m desperate, baby.” His hips swiveled again and she arched against him. “Come to my premiere in L.A. I’ll pay for everything.”

Felicity leaned up and nipped at his lip. “I pay my own way, Oliver.”

“I never doubted it.” His tongue plunged in her mouth just as he started to fuck her in earnest. In and out, and hard. “Do you want to come?”

“Yes, please,” she begged.

“Say you’ll come see me in L.A.” He stopped completely and pulled out. Oliver reached between them and took his dick in his hand. He rubbed the tip against her clit and watched smugly as her eyes started to roll back. “Say you’ll come see me in L.A., and I’ll let you come.”

“Okay,” she gave in. “I’ll come to L.A.” At that moment she would have agreed to anything. When he entered her again, he put his thumb on her and with three swipes Felicity was soaring high. Her entire body arched up as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. Oliver pounded into her, chasing his own release. Her insides were still gripping him when he let go, filling the condom.

When they both came down, Oliver was wrapped around her, his head against her chest. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?” she asked.

“You’ll fly out to L.A. for my movie premiere?” As a man who’d been making it in Hollywood for five years now, he was shocked at the reassurance he suddenly seemed to need.

Felicity bit her lip in indecision. “Oliver,” she sighed. “We agreed.”

“That was before.”

“Before what?” she asked. “Before we had sex?”

“That’s _all that_ was to you?” He pushed himself up out of bed and reached for his boxers. “Just sex? You didn’t… It didn’t mean anything?”

She looked at the clock on the wall. “We’ve known each other four hours. What do you think it meant?” Felicity looked down at her hands. “Just let it be a one night stand.”

“No,” Oliver disagreed. He took up the position in front of her, on his knees. “I felt something. I _know_ you did too.” He reached forward and lifted her face. “If you can look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t, I won’t say another word about it.”

This wasn't her life. She didn’t rush and make decisions like this. Felicity needed to think about things and consider both sides. “Can I think about it?” She sighed. “I’m not saying I… I’m not saying I felt nothing. But I’m not ready to jump into something new, either, okay?”

“Okay, baby.” He leaned forward and kissed her again. His tongue asked for permission for entrance at her mouth, and Felicity let him. “Do you need to get back?”

“I probably should,” she hesitated.

Oliver held up the second condom from his wallet. “I still have this.” He pressed a kiss to her neck. “And I thought we could call down for more, if necessary.”

She laughed. “You want to order condoms from room service?”

He wrapped his tongue around her nipple. “Why not?” Oliver bit down and then laved at it with his tongue. “I’m an actor. It’s what we do.”

Her hands slid into his hair. He had a point there.

* * *

So that was the most explicit thing I've ever written... *shrugs* I was initially going for Mature, and it got out of hand. Most of the chapters will be PG-13-esque.

 


	2. 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Please put on your seatbelt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who responded to the first chapter. Missy & I have been working on this, and wanted to get it right for you. There's not really an update schedule - just when we have time. We do have an outline, though! I'm finishing up the (teaching) school year and she works full time, plus has adorable little people to take care of. And we're both a slave to the muse. 
> 
> My immediate goal is to write the next chapter of _Periods_ this weekend... 
> 
> Enough chatter.

* * *

As much as he loved acting, Oliver Dearden hated the promotional circuit. Especially since the movie producers insisted on pairing him with Laurel Lance for interviews. If he’d known three years ago when he signed up to voice the Green Arrow in an animated film where he’d be today, he might have reconsidered. But back then he’d just walked out on his father, once and for all refusing to join Queen Industries, which meant the comfortable lifestyle he’d always known was gone overnight. If he was going to make it in Los Angeles, then it was time to prove it.

The Green Arrow script had fallen into his lap and Laurel was already attached to portray the Black Canary. They were rebooting the DC Universe, trying to make it appeal to a wider audience the way Marvel had done with the Avengers. It wasn’t the first time one of the films had been animated, but it was the first time an animated film was considered to be part of the film canon. His initial contract was just for the one film, but it’d been so well received they’d written him into the _Justice Society of America_ film. There were even talks of a live-action film down the road. Way, way down the road.

But first he had to get through promotion with Laurel. Who was on a comeback tour, of sorts. She’d fallen off the wagon between the Green Arrow and JSA and completed a 30 day stint in rehab, which was something the interviewers _kept bringing up._  And normally Oliver would feel sorry for her, but Laurel Lance had a long, documented history of rehab. The film producers knew what they were getting when they signed her. According to Thea, Laurel checked into rehab for the first time when she was seventeen. Oliver couldn’t imagine life as a child star, and frankly wouldn’t want to, but he’d spent the latter part of his teens and early twenties trying to find the meaning of life at the bottom of a bottle. Fortunately, his mother had always been able to pull him back and put his head on straight.

Another thing the interviewers kept bringing up was the possibility of a relationship between Laurel and him. Oliver wanted to give them a definitive answer, but they’d both been told to play up the possibility. It irritated him because there was a girl out there he knew he _wanted_ to pursue something with. Even if it was impossible with his life being L.A. based and hers in Starling. As hard as he tried, Oliver couldn’t get Felicity out of his mind. He kept himself busy during the day, but when he lay down at night he could remember the way she felt in his arms or the taste of her lips against his. It’d been ten long nights since they’d been together and Oliver still found himself waking up, calling out for her.

He didn’t know if she would show up at the premiere this upcoming Wednesday. He hoped. Felicity had refused to give him her phone number, and wouldn’t take his, so there was no way for them to talk. They hadn’t even exchanged last names. Oliver had grown up in Starling and she wasn’t someone he recognized, so he guessed she’d moved there since he’d left. He made a mental note to ask Thea if she knew her, as he guessed they were about the same age.

The great thing regarding his memories of Felicity was that they helped get him through the time he was required to spend with Laurel. When she was going on (and on) about how the Green Arrow and Black Canary were soulmates or whatever, Oliver could think about Felicity instead of whatever Laurel was saying. As someone who’d actually read the comic book, he wondered if Laurel knew anything about the actual story. In the original Green Arrow comics, the guy was a womanizer and leach who constantly took advantage of the Black Canary, who was nearly two decades younger than him. There was very little _romance_ in their story.

Of course, Oliver didn’t say any of that outloud. He wanted to keep his job. Instead, he smiled and laughed, and played his part like a dutiful studio drone. And when Laurel held his hand or kissed his cheek, he let her. It was another act to play and it wasn’t hurting anyone. Besides, if people thought they were together in real life it might drum up interest for the movie, right? That’s what Laurel kept telling him, anyway.

< \--- >

Felicity hit the red X to close the TMZ window. No matter what their _source_ said, she just didn’t believe Oliver was dating Laurel Lance. Oliver Dearden, who she had hooked up with eleven days ago. The night after their one night together, she’d looked up the _Justice Society_ movie on IMDB and found a link to his bio. She then looked him up on Wikipedia, which confirmed much of what he’d told her. He was originally from Starling, but there wasn’t any information regarding his family. He’d voiced the Green Arrow in an animated DCU film, along with Laurel Lance, and the two of them together were cast in JSA. He’d also been in a handful of other films.

A couple of buddy comedies, and one romantic comedy. In the last ten days she’d managed to Redbox all of them. Some of them more than once. The romantic comedy she’d bought a digital copy of so she could watch whenever she wanted.

Felicity discovered quickly that photos and film didn’t do his eyes justice. They were devastating up close. He was a good actor. And… she liked him. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since she’d left his hotel room early that morning. Oliver had been a total gentleman and never pressured her into doing anything that would make her uncomfortable, but at the same time Felicity found herself wanting more.

She wanted to see if the chemistry between them was just a one-off or would it reappear if they saw each again. Of course, all of that depended on whether he was dating Laurel Lance or not. Felicity had kept up with the press regarding the release of JSA and noticed immediately he’d been paired with Laurel. She’d devoured anything on-camera, just for the opportunity to see him and hear his voice again. But it was hard to ignore Laurel. She was constantly touching Oliver on his forearm, thigh, or pressing her breasts against his shoulder. If they weren’t together, then Laurel was definitely giving him the signal that she was ready and willing.

It also brought about the question of how long they were together? Had Felicity helped Oliver cheat on his girlfriend? The very thought of it turned her stomach.

She opened another browser and typed in her favorite travel website. She had to know. A few clicks and almost $1,000 later, she had plane tickets purchased and a hotel room booked. It was going to take a little more work to get actual tickets to the premiere, but she was Felicity Smoak so it wasn’t impossible.

Four days later Felicity found herself waiting in a crowd of strangers outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. She’d hacked their system and purchased a ticket for the premiere, but she hoped to catch Oliver’s attention outside on the carpet. She and Iris had spent a long Facetime session going through everything in Felicity’s closet before deciding nothing was appropriate. So the two women had brunch the previous Sunday and gone shopping.

Judging by those around her, she was seriously over dressed. The long red dress she wore was definitely eye catching, and the deep vee in the center drew the eye straight to her cleavage. If Oliver saw her, there was no way he’d be able to look away. She just needed to push her way to the front of the comic fanboys and girls who were all there to see their live action heroes. Some of them were even dressed in full costume. If she were here for any other reason, it would be something she would embrace. But hiding her identity would do her no good today.

As the celebrities began to arrive, Felicity was jostled from left to right. There was security available to keep order in the crowd, but they were also there to make sure no one got too close to the stars. The biggest stars wouldn’t be arriving until closer to the premiere time, but she’d looked Oliver up and he wasn’t one of the above the marquee stars of this film. His role had been added during one of the rewrites due to the success of his animated film. Not that she was knocking his acting. He definitely had comedic chops.

The idea of watching any love scenes with Laurel Lance and him turned her stomach.

Felicity was fascinated by the activity surrounding the red carpet. People she had only see on her Twitter page being ushered in, pulled around by assistants with radios and blinded by flashing cameras. The writers and film producers walked first and answered simple press questions. Felicity couldn't fathom how Oliver would find her in this mess of people even in a red dress.

But maybe that was for the best. She could observe his interactions with Laurel, see if they gave off the couple vibe, before she found him inside the theatre. With her plan decided, Felicity let herself enjoy her surroundings. It wasn’t like she’d ever experienced anything like a movie premiere before. And she hadn’t exactly told her friends where she was going, so no one was there to accompany her.

The only explanation she’d given to Iris and Barry was that she hooked up with a stranger from L.A. the night of her birthday, and after reconsidering her initial position she thought maybe something was between them. They hadn’t exchanged last names, but had exchanged phone numbers and made a plan to meet that weekend. After Felicity promised at least a hundred times to text all of her travel information (including pictures to insure it was really her sending the texts), Iris encouraged her to pursue the stranger. Yes, it was _technically_ a lie. But Felicity didn’t want to tell Iris that she’d slept with a Hollywood actor and have the other woman freak out on her. It was enough that she’d shared details of the three times they had sex that night (though, Iris was strangely proud of her, only after she’d confirmed that Felicity had used protection all three times).

Felicity knew exactly when Oliver arrived. There was a whisper throughout the crowd. She knew before she saw him that he arrived _with_ Laurel. Not that it necessarily meant anything. Once she saw him, Felicity suddenly remembered everything. The husky timber of his voice, the way his eyes sparkled, how he tasted like a combination of vodka and sweat. He was even more handsome than she remembered, but Felicity attributed that to his navy blue tuxedo. It fit his muscular body well.

Laurel was hanging from his right arm and they were being interviewed together. She was wearing a tight black dress with a corset and a lace overlay. Her straight brown hair hung down her back. Her make-up was heavier than it should’ve been, given the time of day, but Felicity assumed Laurel had asked for it to be done that way intentionally. Her dress stopped at her knee and her shoes looked to be four inches high, which put her nearly at eye-level with Oliver. Their color matched her lips. Overall, she looked like she was trying to hard.

The two of them appeared to be in sync on the red carpet. Laurel’s arm was wrapped around Oliver’s, but they moved as one unit from photographer to photographer. He would smile and step back so that Laurel could have her picture taken. When they were photographed as a couple, his hand moved to the small of her back. Felicity would see his eyes occasionally drift towards the gathered crowd, but Laurel or a reporter would always bring him back. She watched them and wondered if he was looking for her. But why would he be looking for her if he was with Laurel, as it appeared?

One of the reporters said something that made him blush to the tips of his ears and Felicity smiled. She remembered how far down that blush went on him. She just wished she was closer so she could hear what the reporter had asked. A minute later, she didn’t need to know, though. Suddenly Laurel was leaning closer and Oliver was pressing forward on her back and they were kissing. On the lips?

Frak. What was happening? Were those rumors really true, then? Had he been with Laurel the entire time? Had she helped someone cheat on their girlfriend? Oh Google, she was going to be sick.

The crowd around them started to cheer and Felicity felt her eyes water. This is what the people wanted. A real life Green Arrow and Black Canary. She should’ve known. When Laurel pulled away, she smiled brightly at Oliver and he shook his head at her, as if something were funny. She then reached up to wipe away the lipstick she’d left behind. That same gaudy red color.

Felicity had seen enough. There was nothing for her in Los Angeles. It was time to go back home to Starling. She’d been wrong about Oliver all along. Whatever she thought she’d shared with must have been entirely one sided.

< \--- >

_7 weeks later…_

This was not happening.

THIS WAS NOT HAPPENING.

_Oh frak, this was not happening._

Felicity forced herself to take three deep breaths. As much as she wished to, there way no changing her current situation. Even if she closed her eyes and counted backwards or pinched her own arm to wake up from the nightmare, it didn’t change anything. Every time she looked around she was still sitting in her gynecologist’s office waiting for the results of a urine pregnancy test.

It wasn’t just because her period was late, either. It was because her period was late and her breasts hurt and she could smell _everything._  Plus, her mother had commented on her complexion two days previously. And the three drug store pregnancy tests she’d bought all said positive (all different brands, with one as a potential tie breaker).

Felicity stuck her thumb nail in her mouth and started chewing anxiously. The butterflies in her stomach had their own butterflies at this point. When Dr. Schwartz gently knocked and pushed the door open, Felicity forced herself to stay seated. But not quiet. “Well?”

The older woman nodded in affirmation. “Congratulations, Felicity.”

“How did this happen!” Felicity wailed. She pressed both hands against her eyes.

Dr. Schwartz stepped forward and wrapped a comforting arm around her patient. “I take it this is not good news, then?” The sobbing woman shook her head. “And the father?”

Again, Felicity shook her head. “No father.”

 “Were you assaulted?” Dr. Schwartz questioned, in alarm.

“N—no,” the younger woman sniffed. “It was…” she shrugged. “It was one night. It meant nothing. We used protection.” Felicity reached up and wiped at her eyes. “How did this happen? We used condoms every time.”

“Condoms are only considered to be 98% effective at preventing pregnancy when used perfectly, Felicity. The much less known statistic is that condoms are about 85% effective at preventing pregnancy, which is why I always encourage my patients to consider another birth control option if they know they don’t want to get pregnant. Condoms sometimes tear, they expire, or leak. And it just takes the woman being in the middle of her fertility cycle at that time to become pregnant.” Dr. Schwartz watched as Felicity’s eyes widened more at each new thing she said. “None of that matters now, Felicity. What matters is that you’re pregnant and you have decisions to make.” The doctor opened her laptop and clicked on several options. “You said it only happened once, so what was the date of conception?”

“Uh, the night I was out celebrating my birthday with friends… July 6.” Her face burned with embarrassment. “I met him while I was… out.”

“Gotcha.” Dr. Schwartz tapped in the date. She glanced up at her patient. “I’m not here to judge you, Felicity. You’re not the first woman I’ve ever met in this position, and you won’t be the last. And I’m going to give you all of the information you need to make a smart, informed decision today for yourself and your potential future baby. But whatever you decide, please know that I do not doubt your ability to take care of this baby or to provide it a future, if you choose to, okay?”

Felicity nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Schwartz.”

“Hmmm.” She glanced back at her computer screen. “Based on conception of July 6 or 7, your due date would be April 12. That means today you are just shy of 9 weeks pregnant. Not out of your first trimester yet.”

“So that means not telling anyone yet, right?”

“Correct.” Dr. Schwartz smiled at her. “But we can do an ultrasound, if you want. See what your little guy or girl looks like in there?”

For some reason, Felicity thought of Oliver and immediately felt guilty. Was she really going to keep this from him? Despite what she’d seen in L.A., she’d read another article where he insisted he and Laurel weren’t a couple. He’d said they were _just co-workers._  To not believe everything you read. But what about what she’d seen with her own eyes? She’d kept track of his travels and he was finishing up the overseas tour for _Justice Society_ right now.

But he was set to go directly to South Carolina and film a military comedy.  

Felicity knew she could reach him, if she tried. It was no secret that his long-time best friend, Tommy Merlyn, was also his agent. He also had an L.A. based manager whose information was available on IMDB, if she cared to look it up. But did she want to?

Would Oliver care that he’d gotten her pregnant? Or would he just try to throw money at her so she’d go away? Would he push her to get an abortion? Felicity closed her eyes and sighed. Could she really keep this secret from him?

“Felicity?” Dr. Schwartz asked.

“Hmmm?”

“The ultrasound?” she repeated. “Do you want to have one today?”

This was _her baby,_  not Oliver’s. She was here, not him. It was _her_ decision. “Yeah, I do,” she agreed. “I want to see my baby if I can.”

“Excellent.” The older woman exhaled. “Hop up on the table and I’ll go grab Chelsea and the portable ultrasound machine and we’ll get everything set up.”

When the doctor left, Felicity lay on the table contemplating how her life was going to change in the next year. She was going to be a mother. There would be a whole other person who was entirely dependent upon her for their existence. It wasn’t something she’d ever seen for herself, but now she was sure it was something she wanted. She could do this. Absolutely.

She was convinced of that for about twenty seconds. And then the panic hit.

* * *

True facts about the condoms. But if you look closely in Part 1 there were hints...  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The very last chapter of this fic (now & always) is a timeline//notes of importance related to this fic. It will be updated as each chapter is updated to reflect the dates/information that was revealed in that chapter.


	3. 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Close encounters are in store for New Years' in Starling, WA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I wrote this, I thought a lot about the Taylor Swift lyric, _please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere_ from her song  New Years Day. It's one of my faves. 
> 
> Thanks to all of you who have commented, kudos, bookmarked, etc. on this fic. It meets a lot to both River & myself. <3

* * *

_New Years Eve_

At 25 weeks pregnant, Felicity wanted to be anywhere but at Verdant. The _only_ reason she’d agreed to tag along was because she hadn’t wanted to spend the night alone on her couch (or worse—with her parents), eating _another_ pint of mint chocolate chip, and watching the ball drop with Ryan Seacrest. When Iris had asked her to come along with Barry, Caitlin, and Ronnie to celebrate the New Year, Felicity only agreed when her friends said they’d pay her cover charge _and_ all of her Shirley Temples. Because grenadine was as close to alcohol as she could get for many more months—too many more months.

What she hadn’t counted on was Verdant reminding her of Oliver. The last time they’d all been here was the night she met him at Helix. Not that any of her friends knew that. Or anything about him, actually. All she’d shared upon returning from L.A. besides discovering she was pregnant was that he had a girlfriend and some things weren’t meant to be. There was no point in telling her circle of friends she’d slept with Oliver Dearden. There was even less of a point in telling them that he was the father of her unborn child.

Felicity was aware that Oliver was in Starling right now. She couldn't help keeping an eye on his social media accounts and his last update was to share he was _headed home to Washington to visit family and old friends…_ and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d bother looking for her. Not that he’d know where to find her. More than once she regretted not giving him her last name or phone number. But, then again, did she really want to help him cheat on Laurel Lance? Assuming it wasn’t something he did on the regular.

Of course, in the last several months Oliver had done a handful of interviews all where he insisted he was single. But she’d heard that before.

Felicity wished she could forget about him.

Really, she had nothing to complain about. Despite being out against her own desires tonight she was grateful for the people in her life. Her mom and Quentin had been excellent, Iris and Barry couldn’t be anymore supportive, and Caitlin was always good for a late night chat when Felicity was unable to sleep. Yet, Felicity knew she was missing… something. Or someone, actually.

As hard as she tried, the night of her birthday often came back to her. The way he begged her to come see him in L.A. haunted her. And as much as she hated dwelling on what-might-have-beens, Felicity sometimes felt as if she’d missed out on an amazing experience. Not the life in L.A., or the glamorous life Oliver might have offered her, but the chance to know him as a person.

“Felicity?” Iris asked. “Are you with us?”

“Hmmm?” Felicity tried to focus on her friends. No point on woulda-shoulda-couldas. “Yeah, sorry.”

Iris smiled fondly at her friend. “Did you hear the announcement? Oliver Dearden will be hosting the after-midnight party here.” Iris wiggled her eyebrows. “Do you want to stay?”

Felicity felt her heart speed up. He was going to be _here?_ She needed to get out there now. But the entire table was looking at her expectedly. “Sorry guys, I’m tired. I couldn’t tell you the last time I was out past midnight.”

Caitlin shot her a look, but didn’t say anything. Her phone regularly rang in the middle of the night when Felicity couldn’t sleep, or the baby was being active, but she wasn’t going to rat Felicity out. “It’s okay, Felicity, we understand.” She took another sip from her drink. “I wonder what he’s doing here anyway.”

“Oh, he knows Thea Queen, and she owns this place,” Iris answered. “There’s some kind of family connection there. So she probably asked him to drop by, and he agreed.”

“Thea Queen like Queen Industries?” Felicity asked. Her mind started to race. Oliver was related to Moira Queen, who ran QI? How had she missed that?

“Yep,” Iris continued. “The Queen’s, the Dearden’s, and the Merlyn’s are old Starling money and incestuously inter-married. I’m not certain how he’s related, maybe a cousin or something? I think there was a legal agreement about five years back that’s sealed now, around the time that Robert and Moira Queen divorced. Anyway, it was all hushed up and is now locked up tight in some lawyers’ vault, for sure.”

Five years ago Felicity had been in Cambridge, not the least bit concerned about Oliver Dearden, his family, or anyone’s divorce. Oh Google why hadn’t she paid more attention to celebrity gossip back then? Maybe she could ask her mother and she’d know something? Because there was no way she could continue to work at QI if there was a chance Oliver might pop up there someday.

Of all the nights where she couldn’t have something alcoholic to drink. “You all should stay if you want. I can call Quentin, ask him to pick me up. Or order Uber.”

Her friends all dismissed the idea. If she wasn’t staying, neither were they. Caitlin reminded her, “You’re our DD, Felicity. How would we get home, then?”

She smiled sweetly. “You could call Quentin, ask him to pick you up. Or order Uber.” The table laughed at her suggestion. “As long as you’re sure. I don’t want to ruin your night.”

“It would ruin our night if you weren’t here,” Iris spoke up. She shot a glance to Barry, who echoed her statement.

Felicity smiled and reached for her drink. The last four months had been made bearable by her friends. “I’m going to find the restroom. Will one of you get me a water when the guy comes back?”

“Do you want us to come with?” Caitlin asked.

She shook her head. “I’ve got it,” Felicity assured her. As she stood up, she pressed a hand to her rounded stomach. The gold, sparkly maternity top clung to her belly. “No one is going to hit on the pregnant lady.”

“If you’re sure?”

“I am,” Felicity promised. She waved her phone at them. “I’ll call if I need any help.”

They were on the middle level of the club, and Felicity knew there had to be a restroom somewhere. She turned to the left and started walking, but reached a flight of stairs before she found the bathroom. Felicity could go down, to the dance floor, where she knew the line to the bathroom would be at least a mile long, or she could go up and maybe find someone willing to let the pregnant woman use the VIP bathroom. She bit her lip in indecision before making her decision and went up.

Pregnancy and stiletto heels did not mix, but she’d worn them tonight wanting to feel more like her old self. If she couldn’t drink or flirt, the least she could do was dress up prettily and enjoy an evening out with her friends. And the 3-inch heels she wore helped her do that. But tomorrow would definitely be a tennis shoe day.

Once she reached the VIP level on the third floor, Felicity wasn’t surprised to find a man with a headset and a clipboard, guarding a roped off section. She pushed down her annoyance and remembered that her back, feet, and head all hurt. Plus there was something the size of a large mango pressing against her bladder. But none of that was going to get her past this guy, so she put on her most charming smile. “Hi, I’m not on your list. But I have to pee _so bad!_ ”

The guard ran his eyes down her body, lingering on her midsection. “You’re pregnant.”

“Yes,” Felicity agreed, “I am. Hence, why I have to pee.”

“There are bathrooms on the second and third floors.”

She reached up and tugged on a strand of her brown hair. Despite the color, she channeled the flighty blonde who lived deep inside of her. “The line for the little girls’ room is like a mile long.” Felicity put a hand on his forearm, rubbed and then leaned closer. “I know you guys have a VIP bathroom up here I can use real quick. Or even a staff bathroom?”

“I’d have to ask the boss lady,” he said. “But I’ll see what I can do.”

She gave him a wide smile. “Go ahead and do that.” Internally she squeezed her bladder harder. If they didn’t hurry this up, she was going to need a change of clothes and a shower, not a restroom.

While he spoke into his headset, Felicity peered into the VIP section. She’d never been considered a VIP, ever. “Hey, is that Oliver Dearden? I heard he was going to be here tonight.”

“That’s him,” Thea Queen confirmed. She was coming up the stairs from the second floor. “Was this all a ruse to meet him?”

Felicity turned and displayed her pregnant belly. She dropped the dumb blonde act she’d put on. “Not a ruse. And unless you have a mop bucket handy, you might want to show me to the restroom soon.”

Thea nodded at the guard who unclipped the velvet rope. The two women went to the left, away from the VIP guests, and past the bar. Felicity had no difficulty keeping pace with Thea, who was also wearing stilettos. “You can really move with that thing,” Thea observed.

“That’s a weird thing to say,” Felicity noted. Her hand was against her stomach and she felt heat flood her face.

They reached the restroom and Felicity frowned when Thea followed her inside. There were only three stalls. “I’m not going to steal your paper towel holder or anything. I don’t think I could fit anything else in my shirt.”

Thea shrugged. “I don’t know you, sorry.” She leaned back against the wall as Felicity went into the largest restroom. “How far along are you?”

In the stall, Felicity frowned. Really, they were going to chat while she was using the restroom? “Uh, twenty-five weeks.” She paused and then said, “Six months.”

“You’re kind of big to be six months.”

Felicity thought about Oliver, who was sitting less than 50 feet away. “The dad is… large. Over six feet, his muscles have muscles. And well, I’m kind of small. Uh, thanks for commenting, by the way.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that was rude.” Thea heard the toilet flush and a minute later Felicity reappeared. She watched her go to the sink and wash her hands. “So you two aren’t together?”

“What makes you ask that?” Felicity held her gaze in the mirror.

Thea shrugged. “Just how you described him. You didn’t say his name, or ‘my husband,’ or ‘my boyfriend,’ you said ‘the dad,’ so I just assumed.” Thea thought for a moment, and then asked again, “So you two aren’t together?”

“No,” Felicity answered. She dried her hand on the towel and took a moment to study herself in the mirror. Despite the pregnancy glow, she didn’t miss the dark circles under her eyes and slump in her shoulders. She wished she was in bed already. “I’m ready.”

Thea turned and led her back into the VIP section. Neither woman spoke again until they reached the stairs, when Thea said, “If you have a minute, I could introduce you to Oliver.”

“That’s okay, I need to get back to my friends.” Felicity smiled. “Thank you for letting me use the restroom.” The same guard from before opened the rope and she carefully started down the stairs back to their table. It was fifteen minutes until midnight and she needed to get out of there.

< \--- >

Oliver always appreciated how quiet life could be on New Years Day. After the rowdy after-party at Verdant last night, he and Thea hadn’t gotten to the Mansion until almost 4 a.m. Both of them had slept until lunch time when Raisa had woken them with Monte Cristo sandwiches and coffee. They’d both promised their mother a lowkey evening watching movies that night, and the club was closed until Thursday night, so neither of them had anything to do.

Thea had suggested making a grocery store run and stocking up on junk food for the planned family night, and Oliver couldn’t think of a reason not to. He’d kept up with his daily runs while he’d been on vacation, and other than last night limited his alcohol intake, so there was no reason why he shouldn’t live a little while he was on vacation. One day wouldn’t kill him. He had seven more days in Starling before he was expected on set in New Mexico to begin preparations for his next movie, which was an alien comedy. It was his third movie with his friend Roy Harper, so he wasn’t going to complain. But Oliver was slightly worried he was becoming typecast in comedies (whether they featured aliens, cops, or soldiers) or superheroes, when he really wanted to try his hand at something meatier.

All it really meant was he had one more week to see if he could track down Felicity. He’d been to Helix multiple times since he’d arrived in Starling, before the same bartender from that night told him he hadn’t seen her in months. The guy refused to give him any information about her, including her last name, so that Oliver might have more success as he tried to find her.

It was beginning to feel like a lost cause. He racked his brain, trying to remember everything he knew about her. But nothing she’d told him would help him identify her. Oliver vaguely recalled something about her mother marrying the Chief of— _something._ And did she say it was someone _in Starling?_ Or one of the small towns _around Starling?_ Plus, if it was the Chief of Police, how was he supposed to explain to the man how he even knew Felicity? And if he had to explain it _multiple times?_

And how would he do it? Over the phone?...In person?...Using social media?...What if he didn’t find the _right_ Chief the first time? And he had to ask multiple Chiefs questions about their families? It was just a bad plan all around.

He’d been so sure she’d seek him out in L.A. for the premiere. It was impossible that he was the only one affected this way by that night—

“Whatcha doing?” Thea asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Just thinking.” He smiled up at his little sister. “Are you ready to go to the store?”

“Yup,” she answered. Thea handed him his shoes. “Thought you might need these.” Oliver took them with a smile and put them on. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing much.” When he finished, he stood and walked towards the garage. He grabbed the keys for the Porsche and showed them to her. Thea nodded and followed along. “Just a girl I met a while ago.”

“Laurel?”

He made a face. “No.”

“Good,” Thea replied. “I was just checking. I… do not like her.”

“Me either.” The best part of being done with JSA promotion (for now) was being away from Laurel Lance. But Oliver knew that as soon as he started filming again, he’d been expected to take up with her again. _Unless you’re in another relationship,_ the voice in his head whispered. “I met someone the last time I was in Starling and I thought there was something there, but I guess it was one-sided.”

“Hmmm.” His sister shifted in her seat and pulled her sunglasses down. “What’s her name?”

“Felicity.”

“Felicity what?” Thea asked. “Tell me about her.”

“I don’t know her last name,” Oliver confessed. “She’s a petite blonde. Maybe an inch or two taller than you. I know she’s smart, because she said she works in IT. We met the night of her birthday, last July. She’s twenty three.”

“You’re smitten,” his sister accused. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

He felt his cheeks fill with color. “I just…” Oliver sighed. “I thought we shared something, but obviously not. I invited her down to L.A. for the _Justice Society_ premiere, but she was a no-show.” He eased the Porsche into the Whole Foods parking lot. “No point in focusing on what-might-have-beens, is there?”

Thea studied her brother carefully. She took in the dark circles under his eyes, the slight hollowness of his cheeks, and how haunted he looked. It was a look she’d seen recently, but she couldn’t pinpoint where. “I think you might need to start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”

Oliver undid his seat belt and got out of the car. She was waiting for him, and he knew there was no way he was getting out of this story, so he started talking. As they walked through the store, putting groceries in their cart, he told her about the night six months ago when he’d met Felicity and taken her back to his hotel room. He told her about the connection he’d instantly felt with her, and how he’d tried to stop thinking about her. He told Thea how Felicity’s laughed had chased him all around the world, and when he heard it he had to immediately investigate.

Oliver admitted that he would stop random women on city buses with hair the color of sunshine to see if they were her. He couldn’t get her out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. Even if he could make it through the day without thinking about her, she was there in his dreams at night. He told Thea that he hadn’t been with another woman since that night. How it felt, oddly, like he was being unfaithful.

When they finished talking, his sister walked them both to the alcohol aisle and loaded the cart with three cheap bottles. “You don’t need the stuff in the wine cellar tonight, Ollie. That’s not going to help you get over her.”

“Oh no?” he asked. “What will help then?” It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried drinking Felicity away.

“A 20 dollar bottle of wine—or a couple—and some chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce. For that, we need the good stuff. Trust me.”

“Okay,” Oliver agreed. “You’re the expert here.” He followed his sister to the frozen food sections, but grabbed her arm when he heard Felicity’s laughter. “Wait.”

He peaked around the corner and saw a pregnant woman with her arm looped through the arm of a tall, skinny brown-haired man. The woman was short, probably the same height as Felicity. But the hair was wrong. Felicity’s hair was shoulder length and blonde, where this woman had hair down past her shoulders and it was brown. He squinted and it looked like the ends could have been dirty blonde, but Oliver wasn’t sure from this angle.

The two were studying the ice cream case with interest, and the woman was picking out different flavors to put in their cart. She was dressed in yoga pants, a man’s flannel shirt that was too big for her frame, with a long cardigan over it, and tennis shoes. As hard as he tried, Oliver couldn’t picture Felicity in an outfit like that. But then the man that she was with said something, and she laughed again, and it was _her_ laugh.

But this woman… she was pregnant. Like really pregnant. Oliver hadn’t been around a lot of pregnant women, but she looked ready to pop. As much as she reminded him of Felicity, it clearly wasn’t her. Still, Oliver waited for them to clear the aisle before he and Thea approached the ice cream case. He was afraid if he got too close to her then he wouldn’t be able to resist talking to her. And he had to stop doing that.

Oliver watched as Thea grabbed multiple pints of chocolate ice cream and put them in their cart. Suddenly he’d lost all interest in the drinking and eating ice cream plan to get over Felicity. He needed to get out of there. The next seven days couldn’t pass soon enough.

Once they got home and he’d help put up the snacks, Oliver put on his running shorts and a sweatshirt. He grabbed his phone and headset and set off down the stairs. It was cold outside, but he’d be fine. The cold would give him something to focus on. Thea was on the couch, texting, so he nodded to her and pointed outside before he put his earphones in. Oliver scrolled through his playlists, and ultimately selected a heavy metal one. Once the drums and pulsing guitar started, he was off.

* * *

I'm going to add a couple of edits from this chapter to the timeline. But it's going to become really important after this chapter & you'll see why when the next one is posted. After a work meeting on Monday, I'm free until August so I should be able to update this &  _Periods_ more regularly. Thanks for reading! 


	4. 04

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's do the time warp again!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who are reading & commenting/kudosing/bookmarking. It's much appreciated. :) Missy & I appreciate it. 
> 
> And I hope to not disappoint too many of you with this chapter...

* * *

_July 4, Five Years Later_

Try as she might, Felicity had been unable to talk William out of his Batman costume that morning. The five year old didn’t care about how hot it was going to be that day, or the number of people expected at the Queen Industries July 4th picnic, or even that his mother threatened to take away his favorite action figures. He was going to the picnic dressed as the Bat.

Finally, she’d let him win the argument. If he wanted to wear a cowl and cape around 1,000-plus strangers, Felicity honestly didn’t have a problem with it. The bigger fight was coming in two months when he started kindergarten. Her son wasn’t going to be the kid dressed like a superhero every day. Even if his father was the Green Arrow—not that anyone knew that piece of information.

She’d tried to tell someone, once. In a _Mommy and me_ class, back when she thought she could do it all by herself. Felicity had reached out to a fellow single mother and confessed she had a one-night-stand with Oliver Dearden, who got her pregnant because condoms weren’t nearly as effective as advertised, and the woman had looked at her like she was crazy. That was Felicity’s last day in that class, and soon after she’d reached out to her mother.

In the five-plus years since she became a mother, Felicity was in awe of her mother a little more each day. Despite _technically_ being a single mother, Felicity was well aware of the people surrounding her who helped with William. And looking back, she was even more aware that Donna Smoak hadn’t had the a support system after Felicity’s father had left them when she was seven. The casinos where Donna worked didn’t offer childcare, and Donna’s own mother also worked part-time and couldn’t keep Felicity all the time.

Donna had made the necessary sacrifices in order to provide the best life possible for Felicity. And those eight years between her father leaving and Donna marrying Quentin Lance were some of the hardest of her life, but Felicity never felt the hardship. Donna had always, _always_ put Felicity and her needs above her own. It was something Felicity finally understood now that she was a mother. She wouldn’t hesitate to jump in front of a speeding train to save William, even if it meant the end of her own life.

“Hey, kiddo,” Quentin greeted her. “Are we ready?”

She shook her head at her stepfather. “Waiting on Mom.” Quentin Lance had changed both of their lives. Without him, Felicity doubted she would have been comfortable attending college at MIT. It was highly unlikely she would’ve left her mother to travel to the other side of the country, but with a new husband Felicity knew Donna was in good hands. And she knew Quentin viewed her as a daughter. His own daughter, Sara, lived and worked in Gotham and only visited a handful of times a year.

“That woman will be late to her own funeral,” he commented. “And your mini-me? Where’s he?”

“Hanging out with Aquaman and GA in the living room. I tried my best to get him out of the cowl and cape, but William is insisting he’s going dressed as Batman. But at least he agreed to the shorts and t-shirt.” Felicity smiled fondly. “I have no idea where he got his stubbornness from.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Quentin murmured. He had never asked about William’s father and he never would. Quentin hoped Felicity would trust them enough one day to reveal the secret, but if she never did he would respect her decision. She’d promised him a long time ago that William was conceived after a night of safe, consensual sex between two adults and he didn’t need to know anymore. As much as his wife hated it, Quentin hadn’t felt the need to press any further.

“I’m here!” Donna called from the stairs. “I’m ready!” She came downstairs and walked straight to her husband. “I will not be late to my own funeral.” Donna pressed a kiss to her husband’s cheek and turned to look at her daughter. “Besides, I’m not late. Barry and Iris aren’t here yet.”

“They’re meeting us there,” Felicity explained. “Barry needed to go by his office first. He needed to put some kind of order in, according to Iris.” She glanced at Quentin. “Something dealing with William Tockman?”

Her stepfather nodded. “Yeah. He hit another bank last night.”

“Are you sure you can go with us today?” Felicity asked. “I understand if you can’t.”

“He’s going,” her mother interjected. She patted her husband on the chest, directly over his heart. “He’s been working too much lately.”

Quentin smiled, but he was clearly uncomfortable. “I may need to leave after lunch.” He glanced down at his wife. “I told you that this morning.”

“I know,” Donna pouted.

“Well, let me grab the Bat and we’ll be on our way! Let's enjoy as much time together as possible.” Felicity wasn’t surprised to find William on the floor, his cowl pulled down, and having the Aquaman and Green Arrow action figures fight each other. “Hey,” she interrupted, “It’s time to go.”

“Is it really?” he asked. “Or are you just saying that?”

Felicity came closer and had to bite back her smile. “It’s really time to go. Gramma and Pop Pop are waiting for us in the kitchen.”

“Where’s Uncle Bear?” William’s bright blue eyes looked up at her. “You said he was coming.”

“Uncle Bear and Aunt Iris are meeting us there.” Felicity got down on the floor with her son. “Hey, what’s going on?”

William laid his head against his mother’s shoulder. “Max is going to be there today.”

“Yeah, so? I thought Max was your best friend.” She pressed a kiss to the plastic cowl and a ran hand over his back. Max Fuller Jr.'s mother worked for Queen Industries. She wasn’t sure what his father did, but Felicity knew he was out of town a lot.

“He is,” William sniffed. “He’s gonna be there with his Momma and Daddy. Max says I don’t have a Daddy.”

Felicity felt her heart break. This _—this feeling of absolute helplessness—_ was something Felicity didn’t know how to fix. She’d never felt this inadequate before, at least that she could remember. “You do have a Daddy, William.”

“Yeah?” he asked. His eyes were filled with hope. “Where is he? Can I meet him?”

“William,” she sighed. Felicity closed her eyes and searched for what to say. Could she put him off until later? Was that okay or not? “Baby, we’re gonna be late if we don’t leave right now. I want to tell you about your daddy, but we don’t have time right now.”

“You promise?” William questioned. He laid down his Green Arrow figure and held out his pinky. “You swear?”

Felicity swallowed. She couldn’t lie to him about this. She’d always planned to tell him when he was older, anyway. But she thought she’d have more time to find the words to explain Oliver to him. “I promise,” she said and linked her pinky with his. William wrapped his arms around her neck and Felicity stood with him in her arms. His legs wrapped around her waist and she walked into the kitchen.

Her mother was waiting with her purse and hooked it over Felicity’s shoulder. She adjusted it and started towards her vehicle, her parents behind her. “Oh, hey, can one of you grab his iPad—”

“Got it,” Quentin cut her off.

The four of them piled into her Subaru Outback, and Felicity opted to sit in the back with William. The little boy stayed quiet during the 25 minute drive to the park where the event was being held. But, he did eventually take the iPad and pull-up the trailer for **LEGO Justice** , the next movie that would feature all of his favorite heroes. The movie wouldn’t open until Labor Day weekend, but Felicity already had it on their calendar. There was no way she was going to make him wait to see it.

When Quentin finally found parking in downtown Starling, Felicity was surprised by the number of people already milling about. They would have to walk four blocks to get the main event, but there was someone waiting with a tablet at the entrance of their lot to check them in. The man scanned the back of Felicity’s ID and then gave her mom, Quentin, and William guest passes for the day. He also assured her that Barry and Iris Allen were on the guest list and would have no trouble getting in. Quentin picked William up and put him on his shoulders and they set off towards the boardwalk.

As they walked, she saw vendors, games, and other merchandise booths were set up to keep people entertained. Queen Industries had arranged for the business community from all over Starling to come together and be represented, as well as give out swag. Felicity couldn’t help but wonder how much this was costing them. Of course, the Queens were bajillionaires and Moira Queen had recently married the head of Starling National Bank, Walter Steele. The two probably went swimming in their money each night, ala Scrooge McDuck.

Not that Felicity was jealous. Or bitter. As the Director of Cyber Security at Queen Industries she did okay for herself. Queen Industries had excellent insurance and benefits, plus on-site childcare which allowed Felicity to do her job and have a relationship with William, and they recognized and promoted good work. Her job as DCS was her third promotion in six years.

“Momma, look!” His voice was filled with awe as they stepped into the clearing. The large park was filled with inflatables, swings, a ferris wheel, slides, rides, and a fun house. Clowns were walking around on stilts, and others were wheeling different types of carts, depending if they were offering balloon animals, face painting, or magic tricks. There were games for all ages that filled the space between Starling Lake and the main Queen Industries building. Felicity could smell hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken cooking somewhere. Again, she wondered how much the Queens were paying for all of this. William wriggled on top of Quentin’s shoulders. “Let me down, Pop Pop!”

As soon as William was on the ground, Felicity took his hand in hers. She got down at eye level with the little boy and said firmly, “You don’t go _anywhere_ without me, Gramma, Pop Pop, Uncle Bear, or Aunt Iris. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Momma.” William pouted. “When is Uncle Bear gonna get here?”

Felicity stood and retook his hand. “Before lunch. Where to first?”

“Cotton candy?” he asked, hopefully.

“After lunch,” she promised. “What about we hit the inflatables?”

“Okay, Momma,” he agreed. The group took off toward the row of inflatables and William eagerly entered a bounce house while Felicity, Donna, and Quentin all watched. After his third inflatable (this one designed like a labyrinth), Barry called and indicated he and Iris had arrived. Felicity collected William and helped him put his shoes on so they could go meet the other members of their party.

Once they found Barry and Iris, the group meandered through the different booths. Quentin and Barry both won stuffed animals for William, plus a goldfish that Felicity was certain would be dead within a week. William wanted his face painted, but was hesitant to remove his cowl. Instead, Felicity had volunteered and allowed a purple mask to be painted around her eyes. Iris followed suit. The little boy decided he didn’t need face paint then, but happily clutched his mother’s hand as they walked towards the food area.

As expected, Quentin received a call from City Hall while they were eating with an update regarding William Tockman. Barry’s supervisor had processed the evidence he’d collected and now it was Quentin’s turn to update the mayor. Since Barry and William were finished eating, he offered to walk Quentin to where he was meeting the patrolman sent to pick him up. It would give Felicity, Donna, and Iris time to catch up on recent gossip, and Barry knew William wouldn’t be able to sit still long enough for the three women to finish eating.

When they dropped Quentin at the patrol car, Barry took William to his car to retrieve a frisbee. It was something he kept in his car for when he took his and Iris’ dog out, but it would give William a chance to run some energy out. He sent a text to Iris and Felicity explaining and they set off towards the wide open green where some families were choosing to picnic. William walked next to Barry, holding his hand. “Uncle Bear, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, kiddo. You can ask me anything.” Barry smiled down at the boy. “What’s up?”

“Did you know my dad?” William looked away from his uncle, but tightened his grip on his hand. “Momma says I have one, but how come I’ve never met him?”

Barry felt his heart squeeze. He and Iris had talked privately about this moment, but neither expected it would come this soon. “William, I—” He hesitated, unsure of what to say. What did Felicity tell him already? Barry lowered himself so that he was looking William in the eyes and gently lifted the plastic mask. “Everyone has a dad, Bud. But not all Dad’s are able to get to know their kids. So, no, I don’t know your dad, but your Mom knew him.”

“Oh.” William looked away, his eyes sad. “Then why did Momma say—?”

“I don’t know, William.” Barry gently lifted the boy’s chin. “Your Mom wouldn’t lie to you about this. Did you know she didn’t have a dad growing up?”

“What?” the little boy asked. “But Pop Pop—” William wrinkled his forehead in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

Barry pulled him into a hug. “You aren’t meant to, kiddo. Your Pop Pop is your Mom’s stepdad. Her real dad left when she was just a little older than you are now and it hurt her for a long time. But she loves your Pop Pop just like I love my Dad, okay? As for your Dad… If your Mom said she’d tell you about him, then she will.”

“Thanks, Uncle Bear.” William pulled back and readjusted his mask. “Can we play now?”

Barry watched carefully as William ran back, preparing to catch the frisbee. When the boy was about twelve feet away, Barry tossed it to him. William didn’t catch it, but Barry could hear his laughter from where he ran after the plastic disc. Barry moved closer so the five year old could toss it to him. The two played like that for at least ten minutes, when Barry’s phone rang. He motioned William over and handed him the frisbee. It was his supervisor from work and Barry knew he had to take the call. “I’ll just be a minute,” he promised.

William took the disc and started tossing it up in the air to himself. It’d be better if he had his action figures or his iPad, but Momma made him leave the iPad in the car and his toys at home. The boy wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, not taking his eyes off the frisbee as he played catch with himself, so it wasn’t a surprise when he bumped into someone. He frowned because it made him miss the frisbee. But Momma and Gramma would be upset if they found out he’d been rude, so he looked up and started to apologize. Except the lady he’d bumped into was beautiful.

“Are you Batman?” she asked, her voice soft. The dark haired woman smiled widely at him. “That’s adorable.”

William swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Yes ma’am.” He reached up to remove his mask. “I’m sorry I ran into you.”

The woman studied his face carefully, her eyes lingering on his. “It’s no problem.” She looked from him to where Barry was sitting, still on the phone. “What’s your name? Is that your Dad over there?”

“I’m William Oliver Smoak.” Like his Momma had taught him, he offered her his hand. “And that’s Uncle Bear.” William smiled at her. “What’s your name?”

“Thea Queen.” She studied his face again, having a hard time believing what she was seeing. But the eyes… and the smile… his dimple. “Who are you here with, William Oliver Smoak? Other than your Uncle Bear?”

“My Pop Pop drove us in Momma’s car, but then he had to leave. Momma’s eating with Gramma and Aunt Iris right now. Uncle Bear and I were playing frisbee until his phone rang.” He looked up at her again. “You’re very pretty.”

Thea smiled at him. “And you’re a little charmer.” She reached down and took his hand. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back over to your Uncle Bear.” While they walked, Thea asked him about his love for Batman and what else he liked.

“Batman’s my favorite, and then Aquaman. Green Arrow is okay, but he’s Momma’s favorite. She likes to watch him on YouTube when she thinks I’ve gone to sleep sometime.”

“Oh really?” Thea laughed. “Does Momma have a name other than Momma?” They had reached Barry at that point, who was finishing his call with his supervisor.

“Yeah,” William nodded. “But it’s hard to say. Her last name is the same as mine, though. Smoak.” He let go of Thea’s hand and walked over to Barry. “Hey, Uncle Bear, what is Momma’s name?”

Barry frowned down at the young boy, and then sighed. He took his hand and walked over to the woman, who he recognized. “Felicity Smoak,” he told her. “And you’re Thea Queen.”

“I am,” she agreed. Thea looked back down at William. “We sort of ran into each other, and he was telling me about his family. Said your name is Uncle Bear?”

“Barry Allen.” He held his hand out for her to shake. “My wife and our friends used to frequent Verdant, actually. When we were younger.” Barry looked down at William. “Before this one came along.”

“Oh,” Thea gasped. “Is he yours? I thought—” She stopped herself from what she was going to say.

“No, no,” Barry assured her. “Not mine. All Felicity’s. But it’s taken a village the last five years.”

“I see.” Thea studied William carefully. It was impossible, right? Oliver would tell them if he had a five year old, and yet… This child was the spitting image of Oliver at five years old. It wasn’t something she could make sense of. “I need to go,” she said suddenly. “I have this… family thing!”

“Right, of course,” Barry agreed. He motioned to everything going on around them. “I forgot that you’re one of the Queens putting all this on.”

“Right,” she nodded. “All this.” Thea leaned over so that she could speak to just William. “It was very nice to meet you, William Oliver Smoak. I hope I see you again someday.”

He smiled brightly at her. “Me too.” Feeling brave, William stepped forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then hid his face in Barry’s khaki pants. Both adults smiled at his gesture.

“It was nice to meet you,” Thea told Barry.

“You too.” He wrapped a protective arm around William and the two set off to where they’d left Felicity, Donna, and Iris.

Thea stood still, watching after them, her mind racing.

Almost five and a half years ago, her brother had been hung up a woman named Felicity. A woman from Starling named Felicity. And now… now Thea had met a _five year old_ boy with Oliver’s eyes and smile and dimples… She’d met a _five year old_ boy with Oliver’s _name_ with a mother named Felicity.

What were the chances?

Thea immediately texted her mother to explain there was an emergency she needed to deal with right away and she needed to leave for a few hours. She then put her phone on _Do Not Disturb_ and set off for the Queen Industries corporate offices.

Once she got there, it was easy to use her access to pull the personnel file of one _Felicity M. Smoak._ Not wanting to get caught snooping, Thea copied the entire thing and then ran a search on the computer using her mother’s login for anything else that might be important. Thea printed a handful of things, but knew she’d be able to access the QI information from the Mansion if necessary. When she was satisfied with her take, she logged off and locked up behind herself. She read as she walked back to her car.

Thea was unsurprised to find that Felicity was a blonde who was only two inches taller than her. That fit Oliver’s description perfectly. Felicity was only a year older than she was, and her 29th birthday was in just a few days, which again was something Oliver had indicated.

She stopped walking when she got to the part about William’s birth. There was a copy of his birth certificate in there, for insurance purposes. Felicity had left the name of the father blank, as well as any identifying information about him. But William’s birthday was April 10. “Which means…” She did the math in her head. He would’ve been conceived the previous July.

Fuck.

Oh, fuck.

Fuckity fuck.

Oliver had a kid. A son. A five year old. Did he know? Thea had a hard time believing he did. He would’ve said something. As much as he struggled with their own father, there was no way he would’ve abandoned his own.

So that meant Felicity had kept it from him. She’d kept William from him. For five years. _How dare she?_

Thea dialed her brother before she really considered what she was going to say. “C’mon, pick up, Ollie.”

“Thea?” He answered. “It’s not a good time. I’m on set. It’s the middle of the night here.”

Right. He was in Perth shooting right now. There was a fifteen hour difference. But this was important and he needed to know. “I found Felicity, Ollie.”

“What?” he shouted. “Say that again, Thea.”

“I found Felicity!” she repeated. “You need to come home.”

“I’ll be home after Comic-Con,” Oliver promised. “You know that already.”

“She has a five year old, Ollie. I think he’s yours.” As she said the words, Thea felt tears spring to her eyes. “I think you have a son.”

“Hold on, Speedy.” Oliver covered the receiver and said something to the assistant director. He walked away from where they were filming. “Say that again.”

“Felicity has a five year old. His name is William. I think he’s yours.”

“No,” he disagreed. Oliver shook his head. “That’s not possible, Thea. We used protection. She would’ve found me and told me.”

“Ollie, he looks just like you.”

“You met him?” Oliver squeezed his eyes shut. “You saw Felicity?”

“I met William today. An hour ago, Ollie. His name is William Oliver Smoak. I’m looking at Felicity’s picture right now. I’m telling you, she’s _your Felicity,_ the one you told me about.” Thea sighed into the phone. “You need to come here.”

“I’m in the middle of shooting a movie, Thea. We’re already behind and we’ve only got this location for three more days—”

“Ollie,” she interrupted. “You have a son. He has your eyes and your smile. He loves Batman and Aquaman, but Felicity likes Green Arrow. William says she watches you on YouTube sometimes.”

His heart contracted painfully. It’d been five years and she hadn’t forgotten about him. But why hadn’t she…

“I’ll see what I can do, okay? I’m not making any promises.” Oliver sighed heavily. “Are you sure it’s her, Thea?”

“Yes, Ollie. I’m sure.” She glanced down at the photo again. “Her name is Felicity Megan Smoak. She went to MIT, and she runs the Cyber Security division at QI. She’ll be 29 in two days, Ollie. You have a five year old son with her.”

Oliver heard the AD call his name and he held up a finger. “I’ll be home soon, Speedy. I don’t know when, okay? But soon.” He glanced back at the man waiting for him and gave him a tense smile. Oliver knew his face was a wreck and they were going to have to redo his makeup before he was ready to shoot his scene. “I have to go now. I love you, Thea.”

“Love you, too, Ollie!” she called after him.

He pressed end on his iPhone and turned back to face the AD. The man was speaking into the headset and did not look happy. Oliver exhaled slowly. “Sorry about that. Family emergency.”

“Everything okay?” the AD inquired.

Oliver shook his head. “No. Not at all.”

* * *

Dun, dun, dunnnn! Next chapter will answer a lot of your questions regarding Oliver. 


	5. 05

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver reacts to Thea's phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed, I put a definite number of chapters on this - I have them all plotted out and I'm in the process of writing them. I've decided I'm likely going to finish this before I update [Periods, Timelines, & Exclamation Points](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14062422/chapters/32395548) again. Not because I don't love that fic too. Mostly because I'm incredibly caught up in this storyline and just want to get it finished while I'm in a groove. At this point, I'm writing about 5,000 words a day. Sorry, not sorry? 
> 
> In other news, this chapter is 100% Oliver and you learn lots about him. It still ends a little unresolved (sorry, it's gonna be an angst-coaster for the next couple of chapters), but I have chapter 6 with Missy already. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)

* * *

Oliver took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“We need you back on set.” The assistant director shifted uncomfortably. “Makeup is waiting for you. We’re about to lose the light.”

“No.”

“Wh—what?” the man asked. He reached for his headset and started speaking in a low, quick voice. When he finished, he looked back at Oliver. “Slade wants to speak to you.”

Oliver ground the heel of his hands into his eyes and groaned. He didn’t have time for this. He should already be on his way to the airport. “Fine. I need a minute.”

The AD nodded, and walked away to give him some space, but Oliver was aware of his presence. His thoughts raced as he considered what to do next. Could he stay and finish this movie with Thea’s suspicions in his head? Oliver shook his head… No, he couldn’t.

He _had_ to know. Not just about Felicity, but about the boy too. The boy Thea was certain was his son. William. He needed to know the truth about William. To get to that truth, he had to talk to Felicity.

“Oliver?” the AD called.

He swallowed back a curse word. It was going to be bad enough walking off a movie set, he didn’t need video of him losing his shit on some kid. He’d worked hard to establish a good reputation with fellow cast and among crew members. None of that mattered at the moment, though. “One more minute.”

Oliver quickly opened his phone and messages app. John Diggle, his personal assistant, was the last person he’d messaged so Oliver selected his name and tried to organize his thoughts.

**Oliver, 4:28a:** _I need to be in Starling asap. Need you to stop in L.A. on the way, then follow to WA. Find tickets. Charter something if necessary. Family 911._

He pressed send and then thumbed down to Tommy’s name. Tommy Merlyn was his oldest-slash-best friend and agent. Oliver had to give him a heads up regarding his career moves, even if he didn’t want to reveal the information about Felicity just yet (Tommy knew the story with Felicity and still pushed him towards Laurel Lance hard back in the day).

**Oliver, 4:29a:** _FYI- Getting ready to go AWOL on Slade’s movie, maybe torch my whole career. Family 911 in Starling. Details later._

Once that was sent, Oliver pocketed his phone and walked towards the assistant director who was still waiting for him. He gave him a tense smile. “You said Slade wanted to see me?”

The AD nodded. “He’s in his office. We’ve halted filming for the next hour.”

“I thought we needed this light,” Oliver noted. He looked around. In the areas outside the cities in Australia, it was pitch dark most nights. But this early in the morning Oliver could see the sun as it was starting to peak across the horizon. A new day was starting and the cycle was beginning again.

“There’s always tomorrow.” The AD walked in step with Oliver until they reached Slade Wilson’s office. He knocked twice and when the director called for them to enter, the younger man stepped in quietly behind them. “Mr. Dearden, sir.”

“Thank you, Edward. That’s all.” Slade dismissed him with a flick of his wrist and turned his gaze to Oliver. “Kid.”

“Slade—”

The director held up his hand. “I don’t want to hear it. I told you when we started this movie how tight our filming schedule and budget were, didn’t I?” If he expected a response, he didn’t wait for one. “Now, here we are, thirty million over budget and we have three days left on location and guess who’s holding up filming? The one guy _I didn’t want_ on my movie. But the one guy _I had to take_ if my movie was going to get made.”

As Slade talked Oliver felt his ire grow. None of this was his fault. He hadn’t caused the movie to go over budget and he wasn’t the one who kept changing his mind or ordering script rewrites. If it was up to him, the whole damn cast would be back in the States by now. “You’re making this easier than I thought it would be, Slade.”

“What’s that, Kid?” the director questioned. He’d hated Oliver Dearden since he had showed up as a fresh faced 20-year-old, filming love scenes with Shado Gulong on daytime TV in America. Something about this smug kid rubbed him the wrong way. When the executive producers demanded he cast Oliver or forget about the script, Slade had acquiesced. But he’d known all along Oliver would fuck him over. And here he was, three days before they were set to wrap in Western Australia, with some kind of _family emergency._ Slade felt like somebody was getting ready to slide a dick in his ass, sans lube.

“I quit,” Oliver announced. “Diggle and I are flying out today.” He opened up his wallet and dug out his set ID and hospitality card and dropped them both on the man’s desk. “I’ll have my agent contact Marc regarding any things that need to be wrapped up.” He turned to leave, before he looked back. “I’m sorry this didn’t work out, Slade. I used to think you were an amazing director. Now I know why they tell you to never meet your heroes.”

< \- - - >

John Diggle had managed to get them on a flight from Perth to Melbourne, and then a 90 minute layover before a flight to Los Angeles. Oliver would continue on to Starling, while John went by Oliver’s penthouse and packed him a suitcase for his stay in Starling. When John asked how long he intended to stay, Oliver hadn’t been able to answer him. The truth was, he didn’t know.

“I can buy anything I need, if necessary.” Oliver swallowed a Xanax and hoped the pill would take effect soon. He needed the voices in his head to quiet down, if not go completely silent.

“Will you need me with you? After I fly your suitcase up, I mean.” Diggle’s vacations typically coincided with Oliver’s trips back to Washington. But this wasn’t a planned trip. “If you tell me what’s going on, I can help you decide.”

Oliver looked around the first class cabin and sighed. He trusted Diggle and if Thea was right, it would be out in the open soon enough anyway. “Thea called earlier. Today was the QI family day back in Starling. She met… someone I used to know. And their son, who bears a… resemblance to me.”

“Oh.” Diggle frowned. “Oh? So your sister thinks that you have a…” he paused and looked around before he whispered, “son with this person?”

“Yes,” Oliver confirmed. “That’s what Thea thinks.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His thoughts were racing. “It was just the one night, with Felicity, but it was… Thea said his name is William Oliver Smoak. That he’s five and looks like me.” Oliver made a fist. “Why wouldn’t Felicity tell me?”

“I don’t know, man.” Diggle didn’t know what to say. When he’d left the military and gone into personal security (even if he was treated more like Oliver’s assistant than his bodyguard most days), he’d left messy personal relationships behind. “It sounds like you didn’t know her that well.” _Or at all,_ he added silently. He knew Oliver wasn’t the first celebrity to have a kid no one knew about—but, it was clear from his reaction that Oliver was just finding out about him, too. “So your plan is to fly up there and confront her, then?”

The younger man frowned at him. “Huh?”

“You’re flying up to Washington to confront her?” Diggle questioned. “Is that your plan?”

“I’m going to find out why she kept him from me.” Oliver studied Diggle carefully. “You don’t think that’s the right thing to do?”

“I think you’re running on pure emotion right now, Oliver. I think you haven’t taken the time to consider her side of it, at all. Maybe she had her reasons, have you considered that? Maybe she did try and reach out… who knows? I just think you need to really consider what you’re about to do before you turn this into a PR nightmare.” Even as he said the words, John Diggle knew Oliver wouldn’t listen. He’d known the man for four years and he ran off of emotion.

“Fuck the press,” Oliver replied. “Fuck good PR. And you know what? Fuck her feelings. It’s been _six years,_ Diggle. I have a _five year old_ son that I’ve never met. That’s all I care about right now.”

Diggle held his hands up in surrender. It was three hours before they reached Melbourne and then another fourteen hours until Los Angeles. He had no interest in arguing with Oliver that entire time. Once they got in the air on the way to L.A., he would encourage Oliver to take a sleeping pill. But until then it was best if the other man tried to work it out in his own mind.

Once the _seatbelt_ sign went off, Diggle excused himself to the restroom. When he returned he wasn’t surprised to find Oliver with a pair of BOSE headphones over his ears. His eyes were closed. Diggle dug his own headphones out, plus his laptop so he could send some emails. Even if Oliver was content to flush his career down the drain at the moment, Diggle wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

Oliver was aware when Diggle returned to the seat beside him, but he didn’t bother to open his eyes. He was so angry. Angry at Diggle for trying to be a voice of reason right now. Angry at Felicity for keeping this from him. Angry at Thea for calling him and turning his entire life upside down. But, more importantly, angry at himself. Like he’d told Diggle, it’d been _six years._ And he’d never forgotten about her. Everytime he was in Starling, Oliver made a point to stop by Helix to see if she was there. The bartender, Cayden, stopped working there three years ago. After he left no one else seemed to know who Felicity was. But they all knew Oliver, and he’d take the time to sign autographs and selfies each time he was there.

It was his hope that Felicity was married by now. She’d found a nice man who made her laugh every day the way she did that night in his hotel room. A man who could give her a normal life with a fenced-in yard, two kids, and a dog. A man who was taller than her (which wasn’t hard), with dark hair and kind eyes, and someone who was as smart as her and would appreciate how smart she was. When she married him, she’d probably hyphenated her name because Felicity didn’t strike him as the type of person who would give up her identity for a man. No, she definitely seemed like the type of person who would hyphenate. When Oliver let himself think about her, she was married and living her best life.

Mostly, Oliver just wanted her to be happy. He imagined he would run into her again, someday. In a coffee shop or grocery store. She’d be with her husband, or one of her kids, and Oliver would be by himself or with Thea. And they would exchange pleasantries, and Felicity would introduce him as someone she knew when she was younger. It was a description he was strangely okay with. As they walked away, they would both look back over their shoulders and their eyes would catch and wonder what might have been.

What a sap. Clearly he needed to start auditioning for Lifetime movies.

It wasn’t like Oliver had been celibate since his night with Felicity. It’d taken him almost seven months, but he did move on. And not with Laurel Lance, much to the frustration of the studio and Tommy. If you were a single man in Hollywood for too long, rumors would begin circling. And while Oliver didn’t care, he definitely felt outside pressure from studios and PR representatives. So he dated. Both casually and not-so-casually. There were even women he would admit to feeling affection for. But Felicity was always there. And there was never a woman who held a candle to the memory of her in his mind. And there was never any physical connection with a woman like there’d been with Felicity.

Not to mention his Dad issue. Of course, it took a lot of vodka or whiskey for him to admit to having one of those, but he definitely did. When newly graduated, 18-year-old Oliver Jonas Queen announced he wanted to take acting classes instead of pursue his MBA at Cornell, Robert Queen had not reacted well. Thanks to his mother, Moira, a compromise was reached and Oliver enrolled as a freshman at NYU in the fall. Robert still expected that he would apply and enroll at Stern School of Business when the time to declare a major came.

Instead, Oliver completed three semesters at NYU before he auditioned for a role on a New York-based soap opera. When he got the part, he dropped out of school altogether. His father had been apoplectic. The argument that followed was a fork in the road of Oliver’s life. He’d been given the choice to re-enroll in school and have a relationship with his father or pursue acting and be disowned. He took the name Oliver Dearden as his screen name, in honor of his maternal grandparents. His mother continued to support him, even as his father cut him off financially.

From that point, the cracks in his family only grew deeper and wider. His mother and father were rarely in the same room, and when they were it was all out war. Soon after, long buried secrets started to come out. The fact that the Queen’s had been all but bankrupt when Moira married Robert. It’d been _Dearden_ money that’d kept them afloat during those early years and used to rescue Queen Industries from bankruptcy three years before Oliver was born.

Because of that, it was written into an agreement that should they ever divorce Moira would maintain control of QI. She would also have the option of buying Robert out of the company for the current market value of his stocks, plus five-percent.

Slowly Robert’s affairs began to leak out. Oliver wasn’t surprised to know that Moira knew about them, and in some cases helped cover them up. When she decided she was finished with him, she let the gates open. No one was surprised when she filed for divorce from him. They were more surprised when she kicked him out of the company that bore his name.

After five years on the soap opera, Oliver moved back to the West Coast to try his hand in Los Angeles. He used his trust fund to purchase a condo in Manhattan Beach before he flew to Washington to sort out some legal matters with the family attorneys. Once he arrived at the house he’d grown up in, Oliver was confronted with the father who had abandoned him years before.

_“Oh, it’s you.” Robert carefully removed the picture from the wall and wrapped it in paper. He’d arranged for movers to pack the rest of his belongings, but he wanted to take care of his office. “I thought you were still in New York.”_

_“I just bought a place in Los Angeles, actually.” Oliver shifted uncomfortably. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d spoken to his father face to face. Typically it was Robert’s personal assistant delivering a message over the phone. “I didn’t think you’d be here. Where’s Mom?”_

_“Out with your sister,” Robert answered. “Los Angeles, huh? Still insisting on chasing that foolish dream of being an actor?”_

_“I_ am _an actor,” his son answered. “I just finished a successful run on the longest running soap opera on television. They asked me to stay, but I opted to leave.”_

_“Daytime television,” Robert sneered. “Anyone could do daytime television. You can’t call yourself an actor if the only meaningful work you’ve ever done is daytime television.”_

_This was a fight they’d had numerous times over the years. And it wasn’t like Oliver had_ only _done daytime television. While living in New York he’d done off-Broadway plays, commercials, day roles on movies, and other work. He was a working actor. Not everyone in the entertainment industry made $15 million per film or $250,000 per television episode. But he was comfortable, and had no reason to complain._

_“Besides,” his father continued, “We both know you bought that place in Los Angeles with the trust fund_ **_I_** _provided for you.”_

_“No,” Oliver disagreed. “Mom put that money in the trust, not you. Just like Mom funded your company, and Mom provided for us. She just let_ you _take all the credit.”_

_Robert smirked at him. “You certainly have no problem letting my name open doors for you, do you? You’ve always been proud to be a Queen.”_

_“Take your fucking name!” Oliver shouted. “I don’t want it! I don’t want anything from you. I’ll happily be a Dearden if it means I’ll never have to see you again in my life.” He paced away from his father. “I don’t want to be anything like you.”_

_“You already are, Oliver. Don’t you see?” Robert taunted. “You’re just like me. Cold and unfeeling. You go through women like tissue. Unable to love. Just wait, though. Wait until you become a father one day, and you have your son look at you and tell you he wants nothing to do with you. That’s the day you realize you have nothing left to live for.”_

_Oliver felt his poise start to crack. “Dad—”_

_“It’s too late,” his father interrupted. “You want to be a Dearden, then be a Dearden.” Robert walked to the last of his boxes and quickly sealed it. He glanced around the room. He’d spent his life here. In this room. In this house. With this family. But there was nothing left for him here. “Goodbye, Oliver.”_

Oliver hadn’t spoken to his father since that day. When he’d eventually met with the family lawyers, he petitioned them to legally change his name to Oliver Dearden. Moira and Robert finalized the divorce six months later, and a judge sealed everything due to the parties and businesses involved for confidentiality reasons. His name change was included. On the rare occasion when he did find himself in the same place as Robert, Oliver would go out of his way to avoid him. The fact that his father thought he was going to fail was something that drove him to this day.

During the layover in Melbourne, he and Diggle stopped for lunch. They didn’t have much time before they were expected to board, so it was just sandwiches and coffee. There would be an in-flight meal served. Oliver took a sleeping pill as they waited for the flight to taxi.

“Tommy is going to fly to Starling with you,” Diggle told him. Oliver looked over at his assistant and frowned. “I know you need me to stop in Los Angeles, so I emailed Tommy. He’s going to meet us at LAX and fly up with you. I thought you needed a friend.”

The actor nodded. “Thank you. I didn’t think of that.”

“Oliver,” the other man sighed. “If I was out of line before—”

“Stop,” Oliver cut him off. “You weren’t.” He still felt like a live wire, but he wanted to be sure he didn’t snap at Diggle again. “Honestly, I don’t have a plan and confronting Felicity probably isn’t what I need to be thinking about right now. I’m just trying to... “ He closed his eyes and tried to find the words.

“You’re just trying to get by,” Diggle supplied. “I understand.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I am. But still, I owe you an apology.”

Diggle waved it away. “Look, I’ve worked for you for long enough to know when to push and when not to. And I knew I should’ve backed off back there. I didn’t, and that’s on me. So you don’t owe me anything.” He secured his seatbelt and reached for his water bottle so he could take his own sleeping pill. “Just so we’re clear, I’m planning to stick around Starling until you figure this out. I know you typically don’t need me up there, but I figured you could use some moral support.”

Oliver nodded in relief. “Thanks for having my six, Digg.” He reached up and pulled the sleep mask down over his eyes. Oliver prayed that oblivion would come soon.

Tommy was waiting for him at the gate for his next plane. He shook his bodyguards’ hand and indicated he would see him the next day in Washington. It was incredibly easy to deplane and get through security with no luggage except his laptop bag. Once he landed in Starling it was going to be necessary to make a Target run for a change of clothes and some toiletries. But after he had gone to see Felicity.

Tommy greeted him with a hug and a cup of coffee. The Ambien he’d taken was still lingering, so Oliver accepted the coffee eagerly. “How pissed was Slade?” Oliver asked.

“Furious,” Tommy answered. He frowned. “Did you offer to forfeit your fee for the movie?”

“What? No.” Oliver studied his oldest friend. “Did he say that?” At Tommy’s nod, Oliver sighed. “Whatever, I don’t care. If he wants the $18 mill back, let him have it. Maybe it’ll keep him from torching my reputation if he’s only $12 million over budget. His movie is gonna suck either way. He’d be better to take that money and hire new writers.”

“Oliver, you can’t say stuff like that. You’re talking about _Slade Wilson,_ ” Tommy reminded him. “The guy has been nominated for two Oscars.”

“Yeah, so? He’s also won four Razzies. And this is going to win his fifth, trust me.” Oliver could tell Tommy wasn’t amused. “Look, this movie was never going to win an Oscar. Or even be nominated. It was half-budgeted _Mad Max_ knock off, and we both know it. I should’ve said no, but I wanted to work with Slade, so I said yes.”

“Why did you walk out?” Tommy inquired. “Your text said it was a family emergency. Digg didn’t tell me anymore when he asked me to meet you.”

_Bless John Diggle,_ Oliver thought. “Thea called.” He shifted in his seat, once again aware of all of the people around them. “Let’s walk. We have twenty minutes before we board.” Once both men were away from the waiting area, Oliver lowered his voice and said, “Thea called because… well, there’s a possibility that I have a son.”

“What!?” Tommy’s voice was not lowered.

“Shhh.” The other man looked around. He tossed his empty coffee cup into the trash. “I need an espresso. Let’s go.”

“You can’t just drop a bomb like that and follow it up with _I need an espresso,_ Ollie.” Tommy even dropped his voice to mimic Oliver’s deeper octave. “Why does Speedy think you have a son?”

The actor closed his eyes. This was the hard part. “Because I might?” he answered. “The timing is… right. I’ve definitely slept with his mother.”

“Oh.” Tommy paid for the espresso Oliver ordered automatically. The two men started back towards their terminal in silence. After several minutes he asked, “Is it Felicity?”

Oliver almost choked on his drink. “How’d you know?”

“Educated guess.” Actually, he and Thea had once compared what Oliver had told them about Felicity. She was the one that got away. At least the way Oliver told it. “I don’t know what to say,” Tommy continued. “But are you sure?”

“Speedy was sure,” Oliver answered. “She seemed really sure.”

His friend nodded. “Okay, then.”

First class and business class passengers were allowed to board before everyone else. Once they were settled, Oliver ordered another cup of coffee. His body had no idea what time it was, but it was telling him he needed to be asleep right now despite the twelve hours he’d slept on the flight from Melbourne. “Hey, what day is it?” he asked Tommy.

“Saturday.”

“No, the date?” Oliver glanced down at his watch and his phone. He took the watch off—the same Chopard his mother had bought him when he graduated high school—and adjusted it back to Pacific Coast time. “My phone says July 6th. Is that right?”

“Yeah, I think so. Why?” Tommy asked. He frowned down at his own phone as he switched it to airplane mode. The flight from LAX to Starling was less than three hours, but he could miss a lot in that time.

“No reason.” Except it was Felicity’s birthday, Oliver reminded himself. He usually had the day before to prepare himself, but he’d lost the whole day in the air and going across the Pacific. She was 29 today. It’d been six years they’d met that night in Helix. It’d been six years since their one night together. How was that even possible? He remembered it just like yesterday, but it seemed like forever ago.

Once they were in the air, both men took out their electronics. Tommy powered up his laptop and logged into his work email. He was still in damage control mode regarding Oliver, and he didn’t want to give Slade Wilson time to spin the story regarding him walking off set. Now that he knew _why_ Oliver had left Australia, it was time for Tommy to contact the members of the press he trusted and leak a version of the truth. They weren’t even close to letting the cat out of the bag regarding Felicity or a potential son.

Oliver opened messenger on his MacBook and texted Thea their flight information. She assured him she would be there to pick them up, along with a change of clothes and some basic toiletries for him, when their plane landed. He was grateful, even if it meant he’d have to change clothes and freshen up in a McDonald’s bathroom on his way to Felicity’s house. Oliver knew he could always stop and check into a hotel, but that felt like it would take too much time right now.

It would be mid-morning by the time they landed in Starling, and since it was Saturday (and her birthday), they were already running the risk of Felicity not being home. If she wasn’t there, Oliver wasn’t above staking out her house all day and waiting for her to return. But he didn’t want to come off as a threat to Felicity. He wanted to…

What did he want? He wanted…

Even after six years, he still wanted her. Despite the time and distance he’d put between them, despite the possibility that she’d moved on with her life (why hadn’t he asked Speedy if Felicity was married?), and despite the massive secret she’d kept from him… Oliver still hoped there was a way for him and Felicity to have a happy ending.

He realized that made him a dope.

When they arrived in Starling, Thea was waiting for them in her Range Rover. Tommy climbed into the front seat and his sister tossed the things she’d brought for him to him in the back. She’d included a change of clothes, including clean boxers and socks, wet wipes for his important places (that’s how Thea described them), and mouthwash. There was no plan to stop and let him change in a McDonald’s bathroom. The plan was for him to change while Thea drove them to Felicity’s house. Oliver started to protest, but thought better of it.

According to Thea, Felicity lived in a cute 4-bedroom house in the Adams Heights area of Starling. She lived three blocks over from her mother and stepfather, Quentin Lance, the long-serving Chief of Police. If Oliver recalled, Sara Lance went to Starling Academy with him until she and her mother moved to Gotham City.

Thea indicated that only Felicity and William lived in the house.

Her house was an older style dark wood and slate Bungalow. It was… cute. The grass was neatly trimmed in the front, all of the flower beds were weeded and properly taken care of. There was a navy Subaru Outback in the driveway, which Thea pulled up behind. The front yard was surrounded by a low, natural colored wooden fence, and the backyard had a taller fence of the same wood meant to offer privacy. There was a large tricycle on the walkway.

Nobody inside the Range Rover moved. “So how are you gonna do this?” Thea asked.

“I guess I just go knock on the door.” Oliver folded his discarded clothes and put them inside the bag Thea had brought him. He still didn’t feel fresh, but he was much cleaner than when he arrived. “You think she’s home, right?”

There’d been no movement from inside the house since their arrival, but the car was there. “That’s her car,” Thea said. “Or the one registered to her at the DMV.”

“How do you know that?” Tommy questioned. He shook his head. “Nevermind. I don’t want to know.”

She smirked at him. “We all have secrets.”

Oliver ignored their banter and reached for the door handle. “You two stay here. I don’t want her to feel like I’m... “

“Ganging up on her?” Tommy answered. “Barging in uninvited?” His answer was a slammed door.

As Oliver walked up to the front door, he eyed the tricycle. Wasn’t he riding his bike by the time he was five? Wasn’t William a little old to still be using three wheels? He rubbed his hands against his jeans and shook his head. That wasn’t important. Not right now.

Felicity had nice furniture on her porch, he noticed. And it was freshly painted. Everything was very… comfortable. It looked lived in. Oliver forced himself to take a deep breathe and exhale before he pressed the doorbell. Then he knocked against the glass window. A voice called from inside, but he didn’t hear what it said. So he knocked again.

When the door opened, Felicity was fiddling with her earrings. “The door’s open Iris. C’mon in.”

“Felicity.” Oliver hardly got her name out. He didn’t recognize his own voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Uh, sorry, hi.”

The blonde head shot up at his voice. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise and her mouth open in shock. Felicity looked from him to the Range Rover sitting in the driveway. “Oliver?” She blinked. “Wh—How—Why are you here?”

Oliver gave her an uncomfortable smile. He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. He’d long ago conquered those and any other kind of nervousness he felt. But as his eyes ran across her face, Oliver couldn’t help but think that she was still beautiful. Her hair was longer than it’d been six years prior and her face was slightly fuller, but she was still… She still made his heart race.

“Oliver?” she questioned.

Her voice broke him from his stupor. “I’m here about William.”

* * *

So, confession time... I never feel comfortable writing John Diggle. He's one of my faves (for obvious reasons), but I never feel like I get his voice right. Oh, and be sure to check the timeline chapter, there might be a goodie or two there for you.   
Next update should be Friday/Saturday, I think? 


	6. 06

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The confrontation over William.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to a reader who asked very nicely if I would put this up early - here ya go. Not sure when the next one will go up, I'm a bit stuck on part 8 (this is part 6), so I'm hoping by mid-week I can put the next bit up? 
> 
> As always, Missy made this possible by being an excellent sounding board. And all of you who are faithfully reading & commenting. I so look forward to your thoughts on what you think is coming next! 
> 
> Ta!

* * *

The last person she expected to show up on her porch that morning was Oliver. The last person she expected to show up on her porch _ever_ was Oliver. Felicity was shocked by his appearance. The last she’d read, he was in Western Australia filming with Slade Wilson. _What changed?_

“Oliver?” Felicity looked at the black Range Rover sitting in her driveway. Was that Thea Queen? And Tommy Merlyn? She blinked and focused back on the man on her porch. “Wh—How—Why are you here?”

Felicity felt his eyes on her face, but she didn’t know what he was looking for. It’d been _six years_ since they’d last seen each other. “Oliver?” she repeated.

“I’m here about William.” His voice was low.

“William,” Felicity repeated. Her insides clutched. “You’re here about William.”

_Frak. Frak. Frak._ He was here about William. What was she going to do? _Frak._

“Yeah, listen.” Oliver looked from her to where his people were waiting for him. “We should talk, okay? Do you mind if—uh, do you mind if I send them away?” He reached up and scratched his head. “So we can talk?”

“Okay,” she agreed. “I need to…” Felicity trailed off and pointed into the house. “Call Iris?” Her brain wasn’t working, exactly. “I’ll be inside. Once you’re ready, just come inside?” Why did everything she say sound like a question? “So, yeah?”

She turned on her heel and went inside. William wasn’t home, thankfully. Barry picked him up for their normal Saturday morning breakfast and male bonding hours ago. She, Iris, and Caitlin had brunch planned, and then Felicity planned to take William out for a movie and ice cream that afternoon. The entire family had plans for Felicity’s birthday dinner that night.

But that was before Oliver showed up on her doorstep. Asking about William. _Frak._

Now she had to call Iris and cancel brunch. Or she could text? She’d have less to explain if she texted.

Oh Google, she couldn’t think. Felicity went to the coffeemaker. She made coffee every morning when she was half asleep. She could do it now when she couldn’t think straight.

“Hello?” Oliver called. “Felicity?”

She heard the door close behind him. “In here!” The blonde forced herself to focus on the task in front of her. A fresh filter, four scoops of her favorite ground Kona beans, and a pitcher of water. With a press of the button, the coffee started to brew. Felicity reached for two clean mugs and put them next to the coffeemaker. She could feel Oliver’s eyes on her. “Hi.”

“I told Thea I would call her when I needed to be picked up.” Oliver studied the back of her head and body movements. “Will you look at me?”

Felicity reached for her phone. “I need to text Iris and tell her not to come.” She decided a text would work better. Iris would want an explanation, and Felicity didn’t have one that would satisfy her.

**Felicity, 10:37a:** _I’m sooooo sorry, but I have to cancel brunch (and extra sorry if you’re on your way already). Have unexpected guest… Oliver Dearden (who happens to be William’s dad, and I KNOW YOU WANT AN EXPLANATION, AND I SWEAR I WILL BUT I CAN’T RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HE’S IN MY KITCHEN)... So yeah, he’s at my house right now, and I need to take care of it. Uh, yeah. I’ll see you for dinner? Will call you later. PROMISE._

“That’s done,” Felicity announced. She turned slowly. “The coffee will be ready soon. Do you want something to eat?”

“Felicity,” Oliver said.

“No?” she asked. The coffee finished and she carefully poured two cups. “Do you want milk or sugar?”

“I take mine black,” he answered. “Felicity, will you look at me?” he asked again. She busied herself with adding two Splendas and a splash of milk to her cup. “Felicity!” he yelled.

She slapped her hands against the counter. “What, Oliver?”

Oliver left his coffee on the table and walked toward her. He gently grabbed her elbow and turned her towards him. “I want to know about William.” Oliver nodded towards the table. “Why don’t you come sit down?” He used the hand on her elbow to pull her over, the cup of coffee she’d made in his other hand. Oliver sat down in front of her. “I did not fly all the way from Australia so you could make me coffee or offer me food. So cut the crap. I want the truth.”

Felicity took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The truth. He wanted the truth. “The truth, huh?” She laughed, humorlessly. “The truth is that six years ago I hooked up with a guy on the night of my 23rd birthday. And despite the fact that it was supposed to be a one night stand, I… uh, _felt something_ for him, so two weeks later I flew down to L.A. to surprise him at a his stupid movie premiere. But _imagine! my! surprise!_ when I see this guy making out on the red carpet with his co-star, the freaking Black Canary. So I flew back to Starling, alone, and didn’t tell anyone what happened. Because in what world do I have a drunken hook-up with some movie star? Then, for the cherry on top of my sex karma sundae, I find out I’m pregnant two months later because the stupid condoms we used were worthless. By that point, you were filming in South Carolina and I had to make a decision. I could… I could track down someone at your agency or your manager, or I could be William’s mom.” She sighed and looked at him. His face was unreadable. “I decided I wanted to be William’s mom. And for me, that meant I didn’t need or want anything from you.”

“It wasn’t your decision to make, Felicity.” Oliver stood up from the table. He took his empty coffee cup to the sink and rinsed it out. “You didn’t make him by yourself and it wasn’t your decision to make by yourself.” His entire body felt tense and Oliver was aware of everything he’d been through in the last 24 hours. It’d been a little more than a day since he’d been completely oblivious to all of this. “Even if I’d been in a relationship with Laurel, I still deserved to know about my son.”

“Oliver—”

“No,” he cut her off. “I’m talking.” He turned to face her. Oliver’s hands curled into fists as he tried to harness his temper. “It’s _convenient_ that I show up here six years later and you tell me you came to the movie premiere in Los Angeles. Are you _sure_ you didn’t contact someone at Tommy’s office and leave your number? Or send an email to my public email address on the website?” He exhaled loudly. “Did you do _anything at all_ to let me know I had a kid on the way? Huh, Felicity?” Oliver wasn’t aware of when he started yelling.

She didn’t like the way he was saying her name. At all. “Okay. Clearly you’re upset.” Oliver snorted in response. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I made a choice based on the information I had at the time.”

“You made a choice.” Oliver closed his eyes and turned away from her. “ _You made a choice,_ ” he repeated. He stared out her kitchen window. “Were you ever going to tell me about him?” He turned to look at her. “Will you answer me that?”

Felicity shook her head. “No.” She watched his face crumble. “I’m sorry, Oliver. I planned to tell William when he was old enough to make his own decision. But, no, I didn’t plan to tell you myself.”

He nodded. “I’m…” Oliver rubbed his hand over his face. “I’m gonna take a walk.” He made a circle in the air with his finger. “Around your block?” He shook his head. “I need some air.”

She watched him walk out of the kitchen, and then the front door opened and closed. Felicity let out an unexpected sob as soon as she realized she was alone. That was… startling. And painful. Her heart felt like it was three sizes too big for her chest, and it was beating too fast. _Frak_.

What now? Felicity took her unfinished coffee to the sink and poured it out. She busied herself with cleaning the mugs they used and setting them in the drainer. It took all of one minute, and Oliver still hadn’t returned.

_Frak._

Her phone was on the counter where she’d left it and she was unsurprised to find six messages from Iris. Felicity unlocked it with her thumbprint and opened the messages app.

**Iris, 10:38a:** _Ha, ur hilarious. Oliver Dearden is in AUS filming a movie right now. I know we’re late, but we’ll be there soon._

**Iris, 10:39a:** _Answer ur phone! Cait and I leaving to get u now._

**Iris, 10:47a:** _Uh, we just passed Thea Queen coming out of ur neighborhood in a black Range Rover. Weird. I know she & Oliver D are related somehow. (Did anyone ever figure that out?) _

**Iris, 10:48a:** _We’re outside, ho. C’mon. Let’s get this birthday brunch started!... Why aren’t you answering your phone, btw? I’m starting to take it personally._

**Iris, 10:50a:** _SHIT, OLIVER DEARDEN JUST WALKED OUT YOUR FRONT DOOR. FELICITY!_

**Iris, 10:52a:** _Hey, it’s Cait… I took Iris’ phone bc she’s kind of in shock right now. We both are. So, first of all, CONGRATS GIRL! Oliver D is HOT. Not that you didn’t know that. Second, so much about you ( & William) just became so incredibly clear. Next, I hope you know the three of us are going to talk about this. Like, once everything settles, there’s gonna be tequila and girl talk for real. I sort of get why you thought you had to keep it from us, but… Felicity, you could have told us. You could’ve trusted us. It hurts a little that you didn’t… Anyway, we’ll talk soon. _

Felicity sighed. Great. Not only had she hurt Oliver, she’d also hurt her two best friends. She hit reply, but before she could type anything another message from Iris arrived.

**Iris, 10:55a:** _P.S. Don’t think any of this gets you out of bday dinner tonight. Bc it totally doesn’t._

The blonde found herself blinking back tears. She loved her friends.

**Felicity, 10:55a:** _HI...So, it’s not really a long story (I met him at Helix 6 yrs ago, we had a drunken ONS, the condoms FAILED), but there is obviously some complication (read: William + Oliver is HERE AFTER 6 YRS). And I know you want more details than that, which I’m totally willing to give. Just not now/today. Things here are not great. You saw him walk out and he hasn’t come back yet, but he will. He’s kind of pissed at me._

**Iris, 10:56a:** _Do you need us to come over? I’ll bring Barry, too._

Felicity smiled despite herself. Even if she had unintentionally hurt them, they always had her back.

**Felicity, 10:56a:** _No. I’m not scared of him. He’s right to be angry, honestly. I fucked up._

**Iris, 10:56a:** _I think Cait might go into shock that you said fuck. :)_

**Iris, 10:56a:** _For real, though, Felicity. 6 yrs ago Oliver was on his way to being a superstar… and it sounds like you gave him NSA sex and bore all the consequences for it. What’s his deal?_

**Felicity, 10:57a:** _TBF he missed out on 5 yrs of William’s life. William, who if I do say so myself, is a pretty awesome kid. If the situation was reversed I’d be pissed too._

**Iris, 10:57a:** _Have they met yet?_

**Felicity, 10:58a:** _No. William is still with Barry. Frak, can you call him and let him know what’s going on? I don’t want Will coming back home to WW3 with some stranger that turns out to be his dad._

When the front door opened, Felicity straightened up. She walked to the doorway of the kitchen and saw Oliver quietly close the door behind himself. “Let’s go in here,” she told him, and led him to the living room. Felicity seated herself in an overstuffed chair and picked up her phone again.

**Felicity, 10:59a:** _He’s back. Wish me luck. G2G._

She turned _Do Not Disturb_ on and placed her phone face down on the table beside her chair. Felicity looked up and saw Oliver studying her. “Sorry. I was trying to... explain to my best friends.”

“Explain?” he questioned. “About me?” At her nod, Oliver groaned. “Damnit Felicity, why did you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked. “They aren’t going to tell anyone!”

“Are you sure?” Oliver pulled out his own phone and prepared to call Tommy. “Because I need to…” He shook his head. He thought he’d have more time to wrap his head around this before the news would leak. “Tommy will need to contact my PR people if they tell anyone. And you and I will need to discuss our story. It needs to be the same.”

“Iris and Caitlin won’t tell,” Felicity assured him. “Besides, there is no story. It’s the truth.”

“No,” he disagreed. “I don’t want the truth getting out there.” He didn’t want to tell her that the truth made him look like a fool. This _nobody woman_ had kept his son from him for five years. For what purpose? “No one needs to know the truth.”

“My family and friends will know the truth,” she told him. “And I’m not going to ask them to lie.”

Oliver reached up and rubbed his hands across his face. “What did you tell them?”

“Who?” she asked. “Iris and Caitlin? Or the rest of my family?”

“All of them.”

She sighed. “Iris and Caitlin know most it. And well, probably Barry and Ronnie, too. That’s their husbands. William is with Barry right now, by the way. Barry is his Uncle Bear and William adores him. We’ve all been friends since,” her forehead wrinkled in concentration, “at least a decade now? I met Iris through Barry, and then met Caitlin and MIT, and we just all ended up—”

“Felicity.” His voice was gentle, and despite his indignation, Oliver was amused at her babbling. Some things hadn’t changed in six years. “So that’s four people?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “They all know about, well, you. Your name, I guess. I texted Iris when you showed up because it’s my birthday and the three of us had brunch plans.” Felicity could see he was getting ready to interrupt her again. “Everyone else, my parents, my other friends and closest coworkers, etcetera, all think William was conceived after a one night stand gone wrong.”

“Can you elaborate?” he asked.

“Uh, I guess?” Felicity bit her lip and thought about the _exact_ story she’d come up with regarding William’s conception. “I stuck with the truth as much as possible. On the night of my 23rd birthday, I stopped at Helix and met a guy from out-of-town and we hooked up. We didn’t exchange information, but I’m really good with computers so I tracked him down a few weeks later, only to find out he had a girlfriend that he cheated on with me, so I moved on. Two months later, I found out we had a condom fail and I was pregnant. In April of the next year, I had William.”

Oliver snorted. She was unbelievable. “You’re unbelievable.”

“What?”

“You managed to tell _everyone_ a story that made you come out smelling like roses and turn me into a douchebag at the same time.” He laughed humorlessly. “Good job, Felicity.”

“I did not!” Felicity retorted. “I told the truth, and I kept your name out of it!”

“Yes, you left my name out of it,” he agreed. “But what _did_ you say about me?” His question was rhetorical. “You told everyone that you tracked me down because _you’re good with computers_ and found out _I had a girlfriend_ that I used you _to cheat on,_ so you did the noble thing and moved on. _You_ made the sacrifice and had the baby anyway _, Felicity._

“So now, if I _want to have a relationship_ **with my son** I’m some dirtbag that cheated on his non-existent girlfriend and then abandoned my son’s mother for five years.” He looked up at the ceiling. “This just keeps getting better.”

Felicity had never thought of it like that. She’d never considered anything from Oliver’s point-of-view. Probably because she’d never considered that this moment would be happening. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You should be.” He’d been pissed before, but now he was furious. “The worst part of it all is that I thought I knew you. I mean, it was just one night, but I… if the situation were reversed, I would’ve never done this to you. I wouldn’t have kept you from him. Not ever. I…” Oliver cut himself off. She didn’t deserve to know about the months he waited for her or the nights he dreamed about her. Those were _his memories,_ not hers.

“Oliver,” Felicity started. She reached up and swiped at her eyes. “I want you to know that I wasn’t doing this to you. I was so hurt after that premiere, I just thought… I didn’t think you’d want us. Once Dr. Schwartz told me I was pregnant, I had a choice to make. The first time I heard his little heart beat, William became _mine._ Everything I did from that moment was for him and in his interest.”

“I’m his _father,_ Felicity.” He shook his head. “Don’t you think I at least deserved a chance to know about him? Don’t you think I could’ve given him ten times what you gave him?”

She gasped. “William has _never_ wanted for anything. I might not make tens of millions of dollars a year, but we are very comfortable.” Felicity stood and marched to the front door. She roughly jerked it open. “I think it’s time for you to go.”

Oliver stood and faced her. “I’m not leaving until I meet William.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You can call whoever he’s with and have them bring him over.”

“No.”

He rolled his eyes at her antics. “If that’s how you want to do this, then we will.” Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. When he found the one he wanted, he pressed it and put the phone to his ear. “Hi, this is Oliver Dearden, may I speak to Jean Loring please?”

“Who is Jean Loring?” Felicity asked. She was still holding the front door open.

“Family attorney.” He’d pulled the phone away from his mouth to answer, but as soon as someone picked up on the other end, he spoke. “Hi, Jean. It’s Oliver. Yes, it has been a long time. Listen, I’m in a little bit of a bind—”

“Hang up,” she told him. She quietly closed the door and walked to where her phone was sitting. Felicity picked it up. “If you hang up, I’ll call Barry.”

Oliver watched her with wary eyes. “Jean, I’m going to have to call you back.” He paused and listened. “No, I don’t know how long I’m going to be in town, but I’m almost certain I’ll need your help while I’m here.” Another pause. “Yes, I’ll have my mother call you. Thanks, Jean. Bye.”

Felicity watched him put his phone back in his pocket and pressed the number under Barry’s name. She turned the speakerphone option on for Oliver’s benefit.

“Felicity?”

“Hey Bear,” she answered. “Do you think you could head over here with William now?”

Barry hesitated. “Are you sure, Felicity? Iris called and said—”

“Yes,” she cut him off. “I’m sure.”

“Iris wants to know if she can come, too.”

The blonde looked at Oliver. He shrugged and then nodded his head, so Felicity answer, “Okay, Bear. Bring Iris and Cait, and maybe some lunch? But only for a little while, okay? We have some… things to work out here before dinner tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” Barry agreed. “See you in half an hour.” He clicked the phone off.

Felicity studied Oliver carefully. It was clear he thought he had the upper hand here. And maybe he did. She just needed to think. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

* * *

It's been a rough week for me (two trips to the vet so far!), so I can't even say for sure what's in Part 7... it's like 6,300+ words. Whatcha thinking about Oliver & Felicity at this point? Don't hold back. 

 


	7. 07

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension continues to mount. Oliver meets William, and the rest of Felicity's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The responses to last chapter were interesting. And it was clear that not everyone agreed with Oliver's (or Felicity's) actions. But, I still standby what I wrote and it that makes you lose interest in the story, I'm sorry. 
> 
> So this is part 7. When I initially started posting I thought there might be 7-10 parts. Turns out there will be 11. I'm going to work on writing part 10 today, and then 11 - which will be a short epilogue type chapter. Part 8 will be up on Friday (and it's very much the second half to this chapter). 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Thanks to Missy who went through this with me after last chapter and helped make a handful of changes. I'd be lost without her.

* * *

Oliver considered another walk around her neighborhood while he waited. When he’d gone out before, he was surprised to find a neighborhood filled with original housing designs, decent sized yards, and color. Unlike the neighborhoods he was familiar with in Los Angeles, or even some places in Starling, Felicity’s neighborhood looked lived in. And there seemed to be plenty of children, judging from the toys and bikes that littered the yards. He was still bothered by the tricycle in her front yard, though.

He couldn’t get the image of teaching William how to ride a bike out of his head.

He’d been listening to Felicity move in the kitchen when he heard a car door slam. And then another. She’d indicated that William would be arriving with three of her friends so Oliver stood and went to find her. There were cleaning supplies on the counter, but Felicity was staring out the window above the sink. She did not look happy. “Hey,” he said.

Felicity turned to look at him. “They’re here.” Her smile was forced. “What’re you going to tell him?” She shook her head. “Nevermind.” Felicity dropped the cloth she was holding and walked past him. “C’mon.”

Oliver exhaled. He turned on his heel and walked to where Felicity was waiting, and at his nod, she pulled the door open. Oliver observed quietly as Felicity greeted each of her friends, and then William. She wrapped the boy in a hug and pulled him to her chest. While she whispered to him, Oliver could feel the eyes of her friends shift to him. He smiled at them and said, “Hi, I’m Oliver.”

A light skinned African American woman stepped forward, her hand held out. “Hi, Oliver. I’m Iris West-Allen. I’ve known Felicity for a long time.” She used her thumb to point at her husband. “The guy with all the food is my husband, Barry.”

He couldn’t help but notice that Iris hadn’t let go of his hand yet, but the shake had turned into a squeeze, and Oliver tried not to laugh. “It’s nice to meet you, Iris.” He looked over at the other woman and stepped away from Iris. “That must make you Caitlin?”

“Yes,” the brunette agreed. “That’s me. Caitlin Raymond.” She gave him a warm smile and took his offered hand.

“Guys, can we go inside?” Barry asked.

Oliver stepped back and let everyone enter. He kept an eye on Felicity who was still talking to William on her own. When Barry passed him, he nodded. “I’m Barry.”

“Do you need some help?” Oliver motioned to the bags in his arms.

“Nah, I got it.” Barry glanced back at Felicity. “Listen, why don’t you hang back a sec and we’ll take care of setting up lunch inside, okay? I hope you eat Big Belly Burger.”

“Sounds great,” Oliver agreed. Once Barry was inside, Oliver stepped onto the porch and pulled the front door behind him. He reached out and touched Felicity’s shoulder to let her know he was there. Felicity shrugged him off when she saw it was him touching her. “Can I—?” he cut his eyes over to William.

“Yeah,” she answered. Felicity took a step back. “William, I want you to meet someone.”

The little boy looked up, his blue eyes wide. “Momma, I know who he is already.”

“Do you?”

“You do?”

Both of them spoke at the same time. Felicity looked down at him. “Honey, who do you think he is?”

William laughed. “Momma, that’s the Green Arrow.” Both Oliver and Felicity laughed. Oliver tried not to cringe at how forced Felicity’s sounded.

“Yes,” Felicity agreed. “He does _play_ the Green Arrow in the movies. But he’s someone else, baby.” As she looked from Oliver to William, it was like her eyes were opened for the first time. Except for his curly hair, William was almost a carbon-copy of Oliver. They shared the same eyes, nose, and chin. Even when they smiled, they shared a dimple. It was striking how similar they looked. Felicity bent down so that she was eye-level with her son. “Do you remember when you asked me about your Daddy? How I promised I would tell you about him?” William nodded. He looked from Felicity to Oliver, and his mouth opened.

“I’m your Dad, William,” Oliver told him.

The five-year-old looked back and forth between the two adults, a wide smile stretched across his face. “This is the best news ever!” He raised his hands over his head. “Wait until I tell Max that my Dad is the Green Arrow!” William flung himself at Oliver and hugged his legs. “I’m so excited that I have a Dad!”

As frustrated as she was, Felicity couldn’t keep her tears at bay. As a mother all she wanted for William was his happiness. The look on his face when Oliver reached down to pick him up for the first time told her she’d given him that. When her feelings began to overwhelm her, Felicity had to turn away in an effort to control herself. Once she was sure she could handle it, she turned back around.  “Do you know what that means, William? That Oliver is your Dad?”

The child nodded. “Yep. It means he’s gonna live with us, and play superheroes with me, and Momma can he go see _LEGO Justice_ with us? Please?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Plus, since he’s the Green Arrow, he can teach me all sorts of cool things, like how to shoot a bow and arrow and how to climb up the side of a building. And Momma! He can help you cook, so we won’t have to eat take-out every night.”

Felicity felt her face turn red with humiliation. The last thing she wanted was Oliver to know more about her deficits as a mother. “We don’t eat take-out every night.” For his part, Oliver just looked amused. She wasn’t going to tell him that sometimes they ate soup and sandwiches. He didn’t need to know that. The blonde shook her head. “Hey kiddo, we’re gonna talk about what it means. I’m sure he’d love to play superheroes with you and teach you all sorts of cool things, but Oliver’s not gonna live with us.”

She hated that what she said made William’s face fall, but it was easier to let him down now with the truth than let him build up his expectations and then be disappointed. Plus, it was time to establish some boundaries with Oliver so he knew what to expect. She looked towards him and said, “We’ll talk about it, okay. Maybe you can spend some time with Oliver at his house, okay? Doesn’t that sound fun? But right now we need to go inside and have lunch with Uncle Bear, Aunt Iris, and Aunt Caitlin. After they leave, we’re gonna sit down and talk. Oliver and I are going to answer any questions you have right now, okay?” She held out her hands, to take him from Oliver, but William shook his head and wrapped an arm around Oliver’s neck.

“I got him,” Oliver said. “If you’ll get the door.” He shifted and secured his hold on his son. He ignored her _hrmph_ followed her into the kitchen.

Someone had pulled her kitchen table away from the wall and put chairs on all sides, so it would now comfortably fit six people. The food was still in bags, but the table was set with plates, napkins, and glasses. Barry, Iris, and Caitlin were talking quietly among themselves. They all stopped once the trio entered.

“Hey guys!” William called. “Guess what?”

“What’s up, buddy?” Barry asked. He pointed Oliver to the place that was set for William.

“Oliver is my Dad!” He stood in his chair, his arm around Oliver. “And he’s the Green Arrow!”

Felicity’s friends all laughed at William. Oliver helped him sit down and then took the seat next to him, at William’s insistence. “I didn’t know what to get you, so I ordered you a Double Belly Buster.” Barry passed him the cardboard box. “We usually get community fries, so I figured that’d be okay still…” He split the bag open for Oliver to see. “Help yourself.”

While her husband was explaining, Iris put a pitcher of water and a 2-liter of soda on the table. “Help yourself. I’ll grab William’s milk.”

“You all seem to have done this before,” Oliver noted.

“Only a hundred times or so,” Felicity answered. She bit her lip. She’d silently promised herself she wasn’t going to talk to him anymore.  

While he ate Oliver tried to ignore how awkward the situation was. No one seemed to be asking about the elephant in the room, even though he could feel all of their eyes moving over him. The only person who seemed overly pleased to have him there was William, and he wasn’t sure if it was because he was the Green Arrow or his Dad. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. “If you want to ask your questions, you can.”

“That’s okay,” Barry answered. “We’ll just grill Felicity later.”

He held up his hand. “It’s fine.” Oliver looked at each of her friends and smiled. “What do you want to know about me?”

“Where have you been?” Iris asked. “William turned 5 in April. You weren’t there. You weren’t there when he turned 4, or 3, or 2, or 1… You weren’t there when he was born. So where have you been?”

“Iris,” Felicity whispered. “Stop.”

“It’s fine,” Oliver assured her. He turned to look at Iris. “You’re right. I haven’t been there. But I didn’t know. About William. I haven’t been there because I didn’t know about William.” He glanced at Felicity. “And I looked for her, but I didn’t know _where to look_ , so obviously I didn’t find her.”

Felicity stood abruptly. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

“I’m going to make it up to her, if she’ll let me.” Oliver wasn’t talking to anyone at the table, specifically. Just himself.

“And if she won’t?” Iris asked.

He glanced down at his son. “I plan to be involved in William’s life now that I know about him.” That answer satisfied Iris and she nodded.

The group was eating when Felicity returned, William’s iPad in her hand. She fitted the headphones over his head and set it in front of him. Felicity quickly queued up his favorite cartoon series, before she pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. “I understand _why_ we need to discuss this, but it doesn’t mean William needs to hear about it.”

“Are you planning to move up here permanently Oliver?” Caitlin asked. She’d been the quietest, but she also recalled multiple long conversations with Felicity six years ago regarding William’s father.

Oliver shifted, and then glanced at Felicity. “I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest. My work is in L.A.”

The eyes in the room shifted to Felicity. She gave them all a tight smile. “My life is here and I’m not going anywhere. I just got a promotion at QI.”  

“Thea said you worked for the company.” Oliver raised his glass towards her. “Didn’t you get a promotion the night we met, too?”

She flushed. “Yeah. I can’t believe you remember that.”

Caitlin wiped at her mouth in an attempt to hide her own smile. “There’s always S.T.A.R. Labs, Felicity. You know Dr. Wells would love to have you on staff.” She winked at the blonde. “Plus, Barry and Iris have been hogging you up here in Starling. I think it’s time for Ronnie and I to get you for a few years in Central City. And it’s only an hour north of L.A.”

“Watch it, Snow, she’s not moving to Central City.” Iris waved a French fry at the other woman.

“Wait, Snow?” Oliver asked. He looked at Caitlin. “I thought your last name was Raymond.”

“It is,” she answered. “My husband, Ronnie, is out of town for work right now. He works for S.T.A.R Labs and is on a recruiting trip right now.” Caitlin looked at Felicity, “Speaking of, Ronnie wanted me to tell you that he plans to make birthday dinner up to you next month, if that’s okay?”

Felicity nodded. “Sounds good.”

“So, Oliver, how’d you get into acting?” Barry asked. “I think the first thing I saw you in was that buddy comedy with Roy Harper.”

“Which one?” Oliver asked. “I’ve done four movies with Roy now. He’s a good friend. Actually, when we start shooting the GA movie, it’ll be five movies.”

“Uh, the one where you were cops in college?”

Oliver smiled. “Yeah, that one was fun.” He reached for his water. “I did that movie right after the animated GA movie. I would’ve paid them to be in that movie.”

“What’s been your favorite role to play?” Barry asked.

“That’s hard to say. I like most of the characters I’ve played. My favorite roles are the ones where I get to immerse myself in the character, and I no longer feel like I’m Oliver Dearden playing dress up, but instead I become that character.”

“Can you tell me a movie where that’s happened to you?”

Oliver considered his answer carefully. “I did an Indie film with Dinah Drake two years ago. Not many people saw it, but I knew what we were making was special. It made the rounds at some different film festivals, but wasn’t picked up. Ultimately it went out on VOD.”

“What’s it called?” Iris asked.

“ _Good Things Come,”_ Oliver answered. “Sorry, I should’ve said that before.”

At that point everyone had finished eating and they were just casually chit-chatting. Oliver was eager to get back to William and away from Felicity’s friends. “Do you all want to know anything else about me… in regards to Felicity or William?” He felt four sets of eyes on him, but no one said anything. “Look, I know this is... “ He sighed. “A big change. And I think I speak for Felicity and myself when I say we’ve worked literally nothing out. But it’s incredibly clear how much all of you love William, and I can’t thank you enough for that. I mean, I know you probably would have loved him because you all love Felicity, but as the father who is coming into this five years late, it makes me feel really relieved to know that my son hasn’t wanted for anything while I’ve been…” Oliver didn’t miss the way Felicity flinched at his wording, so he stopped talking. “It was really nice to meet you all.”

Felicity stood and picked up her plate, plus the two closest to her.  “Guys, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, and you know I love all of you. But Oliver and I really need to talk.” 

Barry was the first to stand, and he touched Iris’ shoulder. She gave Felicity a hug and whispered, “You’re gonna figure this out.” Felicity hugged her harder in response.

Oliver shook Barry’s hand. “Thanks for…” He looked down at William and smiled. “Thanks for being there for him when I couldn’t.”

The other man nodded. Barry glanced at Felicity. “It’s probably not my place, but I can tell you that William has the best Mom any kid could ever have. She’s amazing.”

“Hmmm,” Oliver agreed. He didn’t doubt that. “Will I see you again before I leave?”

“Are you coming out to dinner with us tonight?” Barry questioned.

Oliver looked over at Felicity, who was quietly speaking with both Iris and Caitlin. “I doubt it. I don’t want to intrude on her life anymore then I have or her birthday with her family.”

“You’re a part of her life now, too, Oliver.” Barry patted his shoulder, and then leaned down to ruffle William’s hair. Oliver watched as Barry pulled one of William’s headphones off and whispered something that made his son laugh. The two of them hugged and it made Oliver’s heart clench. Despite William’s announcement that his dad was the Green Arrow, it was clear where his affection was. “Iris, Cait,” Barry called. “We should go.” He crossed to Felicity and wrapped one arm around her. “We’ll see you later for dinner.”

“Thanks Bear.” Felicity buried her face into his shoulder and exhaled.

She walked her friends to the front door and then turned back to find Oliver waiting for her in the hallway. The awkwardness from before had returned. Felicity walked to the kitchen and finished cleaning up from lunch. William was oblivious of the tension between the two adults as he happily watched a cartoon on his iPad.

Once Felicity was satisfied with the cleanliness of her kitchen, she knew she couldn’t hide anymore. She walked to William and gently removed his headphone and paused the video. “Let’s go into the living room, buddy. Then maybe you can show Oliver your room?”

The little boy nodded eagerly. “Yeah!” William looked at Oliver. “Do you know Batman?”

Oliver laughed. “I know the actor who plays Batman, yes.”

“What’s he like?” William asked.

He was a douchebag, but Oliver didn’t want to say that out loud. “He is…”

“William also really likes Aquaman,” Felicity told him. “I’m assuming you know him, too.”

“Yeah, I know Aquaman. He’s great. And Arsenal, who will be in the _Green Arrow_ film is a good friend of mine, named Roy.” Oliver reclaimed his same seat on the sofa and smiled when William climbed up beside him. “Maybe we can get you some new action figures? Arsenal, Green Lantern, Black Canary—”

“No.”

“Momma hates the Black Canary,” William told him. “I don’t want her. I like Speedy though.”

Oliver looked up at Felicity whose lips were pinched together. He wasn’t surprised to find she hated the Black Canary. Or maybe it was the actress who portrayed the Black Canary… “You know, I call my sister Speedy. But her name is really Thea.”

“I met a lady called Thea at the picnic. She was the prettiest lady I’ve ever seen. As pretty as Momma, at least.” William looked over at his mother. “Momma, did I tell you about the lady I met when Uncle Bear and I were playing frisbee?”

“No, baby.”

“Oh, I thought I did.” The boy smiled wide. “I ran into her when Uncle Bear was on the phone and I wasn’t watching where I was going. I said sorry. She thought I looked like Batman… hey, Momma, can I dress like Batman tonight at dinner?... Anyway, the pretty lady took me back to Uncle Bear and we talked a little bit. She asked about you, but I couldn’t say your name. I didn’t tell her I could spell it.” He looked at Oliver, “Momma’s name is hard to say, but she taught me how to spell it. Wanna hear? F-E-L-I-C-I-T-Y. But saying it is too hard for me right now.” William frowned. “She kept asking me about my Dad, but I told her I didn’t have one of those, just an Uncle Bear and a Pop Pop.”

“I’m guessing the Thea he met at QI was your sister Thea?” Felicity questioned.

“She called me,” Oliver confirmed. “Thea thought he had my eyes and smile.” He looked down at his son and nodded. “I happen to agree.”

“Frak.” All of these years she thought she’d done such an excellent job of keeping William out of the spotlight, and the entire time she’d been working for Oliver’s family. “Frakking frak.”

“Momma, what’s wrong?” He climbed down and went to stand in front of her. “You look sad.”

Felicity shook her head. “I’m fine, kiddo. I just realized I’ve been an idiot.” She folded the boy into her arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Over his head she looked at Oliver. “Your last name isn’t Queen.”

“I started acting under the name Dearden when I lived in New York. My father was… very adamant that the Queen heir was not going to pursue acting as a career. When he disowned me, I took my mother’s maiden name.” Oliver couldn’t meet her eyes. He’d never told anyone outside of Tommy and John that story before. He was far enough removed from that part of his life that it didn’t hurt anymore, but he was still ashamed of how his father treated him.

“I see.” She looked down at William. “Why don’t you run up to your room and grab your action figures? I’m sure Oliver would love to play with you.”

“Okay!”

They both watched as he started towards the stairs. Felicity turned back towards Oliver, her face blank. “I obviously made the wrong call six years ago and I’m sorry. But I can’t go back and undo that now, so we can just… move forward. If you think that needs to involve a lawyer, I understand. But other than a traffic ticket I’ve never needed a lawyer before, so I’ll need a couple of days to find someone. I would prefer that we work out a private custody agreement.” She sighed heavily. “I don’t want any monetary support from you, but I would appreciate if you would… _be mindful_ that I don’t have the same resources as you do when it comes to spending. I’m certain there’s no need to involve the court system if we just do keep in mind what’s best for William. He is my whole world and what he wants more than the anything is a Dad. Watching you with him is…” Felicity hesitated, trying to find the right word. “It’s eye-opening.”

She shifted in her seat. “I know we have things that need to be settled. But maybe we should work them out as they come up, because it’s clear the priority here is William. How do you feel about that?”

“I agree.” Oliver gave her an encouraging smile. It was not returned. “But I would like to visit the idea of money with a lawyer. I want to pay what’s fair.” ”

“He’s my _son_ , Oliver. I can provide for him just fine.” Felicity felt herself begin to grow angry again and she shook her head. “I don’t think we should do this now, not with William upstairs.” She exhaled slowly. “I think you should stick around and come out to dinner with us tonight. It’ll give you a chance to meet William’s Gramma and Pop Pop. Those are the only two you haven’t met.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “It’s your birthday dinner.”

She shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first birthday I spent with you.” It was the _wrong_ thing to say. Oliver seemed to remember things very fondly, while all Felicity felt at the moment was more anger and frustration towards him. “Ugh, what I meant was—uh, yeah, you should come out with us. It’s just dinner. William would love it.”

“You’re sure?” Oliver asked a second time. “I could call Thea and see if I have a change of clothes at the Mansion.”

Felicity scoffed. “What you’re wearing is fine. It’s an informal family thing. But yes, call Thea and ask her to come. I should meet the woman who is _at least as pretty_ as I am, according to my five year old.”

What he was wearing _wasn’t_ fine, but he appreciated her saying it was. She didn’t know he’d changed clothes in the back of his sister’s SUV and cleaned himself up using wet wipes after being on various airplanes after 20-plus hours. “I’ll have her bring me a change of clothes. Is it okay if I take a shower here or…?”

“You can use William’s bathroom.” She did a hand wave towards the stairs. “He can show you where everything is. There are towels in the closet in there. Will you need shampoo and bodywash? A toothbrush?”

Oliver held up his cellphone. “I’ll have Thea bring that stuff.”

Before he could make the call, William started back down the stairs with both hands full of toys. “Dad! Look what I brought for us!”

Oliver slid the phone back in his pocket and turned his full attention to William. “What is it buddy?”

William dumped all of his action figures on the coffee table and smiled up at his father. “Can we play now?” He looked over at his mother. “Can we, Momma?”

Felicity bit the inside of her cheek in anger. _Not in front of William_ , she reminded herself. “Of course, baby.” She pressed a hand to his cheek. “I’m going to grab a book. I’ll be right back if you need me.”

< \- - - >

Thea Queen arrived an hour before the other guests, carrying a black duffle bag, and a gift bag. She handed both to Oliver and then turned to greet William. “It’s my little friend Batman!”

William hid behind Felicity’s leg. “I told you she was pretty, Momma.” His mother grinned at his antics and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Felicity. Batman’s mother.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Felicity. It’s nice to put a face with a name.” She glanced back at her brother. “Don’t you need to get changed?”

Oliver did not like the look on Thea’s face. “Be nice, Speedy.” He reached for William’s hand. “Can you come show me where everything is upstairs?”

The two women watched as Oliver and his mini-me disappeared up the stairs, William talking animatedly. He’d been talking to his father all afternoon, almost like he was afraid the man would disappear if he slowed down. “They’re cute,” Thea observed.

“Yeah,” Felicity agreed. “At least Oliver _was_ until he threatened me with your family attorney.” She felt Oliver’s sister shift her attention back to her, and the blonde forced a smile. “William tells me you two met at the QI family day?”

“Hold up, Ollie did _what?_ ”

“Oh, yeah.” Felicity rolled her eyes. She motioned towards the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?” The blonde busied herself with taking two glasses down from the cabinet. “Your brother got frustrated with me and he called Jean Loring?—” Felicity slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t do this.”

“I’m going to _kill him_.” Thea was seething. That’s exactly the way _their father_ would have handled things. She wondered if Ollie realized that. “I’m sorry Felicity, on behalf of my idiotic, caveman brother.”

“It’s not up to you to apologize for him.” Felicity held out a glass of water for her. “Take this and I’ll show you where you can wait.”

The two women walked into the living room and Felicity tried to steer the conversation back to its original destination. “So family day? William was dressed as Batman, Barry was on the phone. Did you recognize William right away?”

“Once he took his mask off, it was like looking at an old picture of Ollie when he was that age. Except with curly hair. It’s the eyes and the dimple he has when he smiles,” Thea answered. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why didn’t you tell Ollie about being pregnant?”

“Let’s sit down.” Seating in the living room was limited, but there would be enough for all the expected guests. Thea took the overstuffed chair and Felicity sat next to her on the couch. “I know it doesn’t seem complicated, but it was. I was young—much younger than I ever thought I’d be having a kid—and suddenly pregnant. And I had the ability to find Oliver, so I won’t claim that I couldn’t. But I thought…” she trailed off and sighed. “I thought he was with someone else. And I know that seems like a lousy excuse, but please try to see if from where I was sitting.

“I was scared, yes. And I needed to grow up. But as soon as I found out about William, I started to put his interests first. It’s not that I didn’t think your brother wouldn’t do that, either. I just… I thought he was in a relationship with Laurel Lance. Not because that’s what the press was reporting, or because of some PR strategy, but because I saw it with my own two eyes. I didn’t see a reason to break up his relationship over what was essentially a one night stand. William—or the baby that would become William—turned my life upside down, and I thought by not telling Oliver I was saving him from that. I see now that it wasn’t my choice to make, and I should’ve tried harder or reached out sooner. Not just because Oliver is angry, but it’s obvious William has missed out on having a dad for five years, and I hate myself a little bit for taking that away from him.”

“My brother never dated Laurel Lance.” Ollie might’ve forgiven Felicity, but Thea was going to make her work for it.

“I saw them kiss. At the _Justice Society_ premiere, in L.A., six years ago. And I ran.” Felicity shrugged. “I probably didn’t do as much due diligence there as I should have, honestly.” She looked down at her feet. “Everyone knows that there are potential consequences every time you have sex. If you aren’t ready to live with those consequences, then you shouldn’t…” Felicity shook her head.

“William is the best thing that ever happened to me. But just because he was the best thing that ever happened to me, I didn’t know if Oliver would feel the same way. My dad had no problem throwing me away like a used paper towel when I was a kid, and I refused to allow my son to feel the same way. I’m sorry that Oliver got hurt because of my choices.” She looked up and smiled at Thea. “But I’m not going to let Oliver hurt my son, either. If he expects that I’m just going to roll over because he’s some big Hollywood star, or Starling royalty, he needs to think again. I’m not going to let him take William away from me, if that’s what he’s planning. I’ll fight him to my last breath and I plan to win.”

Before Thea could respond, there was a knock at the front door. Felicity quietly stood and walked to answer it. She was unsurprised to find her Mother and Quentin standing there, balloons in hand. Quentin was holding a wrapped box. “Happy Birthday!” her mother shouted. She stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Felicity’s cheek. “You aren’t dressed.” Donna looked past Felicity and saw Thea sitting in the living room. “You have company?”

“Mom, Quentin, this is Thea Queen.” Felicity saw her mother’s eyes widen, but shook her head. “Thea is here with her brother, Oliver, who is upstairs with William.”

“Oh.” Donna stared at her daughter, her smile frozen on her face. “What’s going—”

“Felicity,” Quentin interrupted, “Where are you putting gifts?”

She stepped forward and pressed a kiss to her stepfather’s cheek. “You shouldn’t have. As much as you and Mom do for me already.” Felicity took the box and set it on the coffee table. “Listen, why don’t you two sit down in here and I’ll go check on the boys upstairs? I’ll go ahead and get changed, too.” She smiled at everyone. “Barry, Iris, and Cait should be here in a minute.” Felicity glanced at her mother. “Mom, why don’t you get everyone drinks?”

Felicity went directly to William’s room and gently knocked on the door. The boy was playing on his bed, the bathroom door open, with light spilling out. “It’s just me,” she called.

“Hey Momma,” William smiled.

“Hey buddy. Pop Pop is down stairs.” She went to his closet and pulled out a fresh pair of navy pants and a clean superhero t-shirt for him to change into.

“I don’t wanna wear that shirt, Momma.” William climbed off the bed and walked to the closet. Felicity looked down at the shirt in her hands and frowned. It was his favorite shirt, with Batman, Superman, and Aquaman on the front. “I wanna wear this.” Will held out a light blue, long-sleeved shirt.

“William, it’s hot out. Are you sure?” She held up the t-shirt she’d picked again. “You love this shirt.”

“I wanna wear this.” He shook the shirt he’d picked again. Felicity sighed and switched the navy pants she’d picked for khaki shorts and laid them out on the bed. The boy studied the outfit, and finally nodded in satisfaction.

Felicity looked up to see Oliver watching from the bathroom door and she felt her heart speed up. It was unfair that he looked that good dressed the way he was. The reason for the shirt change suddenly became clear. He was dressed in dark wash jeans, a navy undershirt, and a light blue button down. He’d rolled the sleeves to his elbows. His feet were bare and there was a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

Felicity walked to the bathroom doorway and cleared her throat. “Hey, my parents are downstairs with your sister. I need to get ready. So if you could make sure William puts on what I laid out for him, along with socks and shoes, and then head down there that’d be great.”

He nodded in agreement. “What restaurant are we going to tonight?”

“Spartan Grill. William loves it. And I’m a big fan of their margaritas.” Felicity refused to meet his eyes in the mirror. “Not that I drink much these days. But it is my birthday.”

“Will they have caramel empanadas I can order for dessert or do I need to bring my own?” It was meant as a joke, but Oliver didn’t get the response he wanted. Felicity glared at him in the mirror.

“I need to get dressed.” She nodded back towards William. “You’ve got him?”

Oliver licked his lips. “I’ve got him.” He kept his eyes on her until William’s bedroom door closed behind her. Clearly the explosive chemistry from six years was still there, but Felicity was denying it. She was _trying_ to deny it, anyway. Oliver looked at himself once in the mirror and nodded. He still looked tired, but that couldn’t be helped. After tonight, he could crash at the Mansion and sleep off his jetlag.

When both he and William were dressed, Oliver grabbed the gift bag Thea had passed him and went downstairs. Thea was seated in the living room, along with Barry, Iris, and Caitlin. There two adults he didn’t recognize, so he assumed they were Felicity’s parents. William loosened his hand and yelled, “Pop Pop!” and went running once he saw the man.

Oliver followed behind, slightly weary of what was going to happen. The woman next to _Pop Pop_ stood up and smiled at him. “You must be Oliver?” she asked. “I’m Donna Lance.”

“Right. Felicity’s mother.” It was clear where Felicity got her looks from. The two women had the same petite build, blonde hair, and expressive face. “And this is your husband? Felicity’s step-father?”

Quentin stuck his hand out to shake. “Quentin Lance. I remember you, Queen. You were in school with Sara. Friends with Tommy Merlyn.”

“Guilty.” Oliver looked around at all the people, and noticed the stack of gifts that had accumulated on the coffee table. He placed his own gift bag there and then looked back at William and his grandparents. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“What’re you doing here?” Donna asked. Felicity had given them very little explanation, and all Iris or Caitlin would say was that it was _Felicity’s story to tell_. She didn’t like this.

“Oliver’s my Dad!” William announced. “And he’s the Green Arrow. How cool is that? My dad is the Green Arrow!”

Oliver could tell from the look on their faces that this was going badly. He glanced back at the stairs, hoping for Felicity. But no sign of her. “Maybe we should wait to talk about this?” he asked. “Until after Felicity’s birthday.” He placed a hand on William’s shoulder and leaned over. “Hey kiddo, why don’t you go get your action figures and show everybody what you were showing me earlier?” He looked at Iris, “Could you go check on Felicity? See what’s going on?” Oliver stepped away from Quentin and Donna (and the potential confrontation) and towards Barry. “Tough crowd.”

“Donna is Felicity’s biggest cheerleader. You were bound to get some push back from her.” Barry patted him on the back. “You need to relax dude.”

It was easier said than done. Oliver looked around the room, studying everyone. William was entertaining Donna and Quentin with his toys, Thea was texting and did not look happy, and both Iris and Caitlin were upstairs with Felicity. But it felt like someone was missing. “Are we waiting for anyone else?”

“Nope. Like Caitlin said, Ronnie is out of town for work right now. He’s the only other person who usually comes along on these shindigs.”

Oliver frowned. “Felicity doesn’t have…” He shifted on his feet. “Anyone in her life?”

“Like a boyfriend?” Barry asked. When Oliver nodded, Barry said, “No. Felicity has William and her work. She has the people in this house right now. But, otherwise… Felicity has never dated anyone seriously enough to introduce him to William. She keeps to herself most of the time.”

He didn’t like the way his gut twisted at Barry’s words. For six years Oliver had been… a playboy bachelor, and Felicity had been here, raising their son. It seemed unfair. It was unfair. And worst of all, as soon as he found out about William, he immediately gave her shit for her choices. Oliver didn’t feel good about that.

“Are we ready?” Felicity called from the top of the stairs. Oliver looked up and felt his breath leave his lungs. He’d _loved_ her in the gold mini she wore the night of her birthday, but the red dress she wore now was stunning. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to him. “Oh, are we opening presents here or at the restaurant?”

“Let’s do it at the restaurant,” Iris answered. She could see the tension between Oliver and Felicity and knew they needed to get out of there. “Who’s driving?”

“My car will fit seven,” Thea volunteered. “Comfortably.” She stood and removed her keys from her pocket. “I don’t mind driving.”

“Why don’t all of you drive together,” Quentin offered, “And we’ll take William with us?”

“I wanna ride with my Dad!” the five year old protested.

Oliver leaned over and picked him up. “That’s fine, I’ll ride with him and Felicity’s parents.”

“No, there’s room with me, Ollie.” Thea stepped forward. “Is there a booster seat for him?”

Felicity nodded and handed her keys to Quentin. “William, you remember you’re going home with Gramma and Pop Pop tonight, right?”

The little boy stuck his lip out, but nodded. Felicity was starting to regret not making him take a nap that day.

Everyone grabbed their gifts and piled into the two vehicles. Felicity sat up front with Thea, and William was right next to Oliver, while the rest of the adults were spread between the two rows. There was laughing as they listened to music and talked casually. It was 6:30 when they got the restaurant, and the party was seated immediately.

Thea slid in first, followed by Oliver and William, and then Caitlin. Oliver frowned when he felt Thea poke him in the side. “Ouch. What?”

“You threatened to call Jean?” she hissed.

“She wouldn’t let me see William,” Oliver responded. He glanced up and saw Felicity watching them. “We can’t talk about this right now.”

“We are gonna talk about this. Do you realize what a dick move that was, Ollie?” Thea frowned. “Do you know how much worse you’ve made things?”

“My son is sitting right beside me, isn’t he?” he asked, rhetorically.

Thea rolled her eyes at him. “For now,” she agreed. “Think about how Mom would react if someone threatened her with a lawyer over one of us?” When her brother closed his eyes and grimaced, Thea knew he got it. “My advice to you would be to start groveling. And hard.”

Oliver could feel the eyes on him, even as he tried to focus on what was happening at their table. Felicity happily opened her gifts and murmured her thanks over each one of them. She’d been incredibly _nice_ about the Lafite Rothschild he’d asked Thea to bring from their cellar at the mansion. Thea’s gift was an offer to get everyone into Verdant after dinner, since William was already going home with Donna and Quentin. Their group agreed, and Oliver hoped he’d be able to talk to her there. There was no chance of having a private conversation at dinner.

Iris and Caitlin went in together on a gift certificate to a local spa, and Barry and Iris purchased Felicity a six month subscription to a meal kit delivery service. Despite Donna and Quentin knowing next to nothing about technology, they bought her the equipment she needed to wire the rest of her house and make it _smart_. Caitlin promised she and Ronnie also bought her a gift, but he wanted to be there to give it in person.

As Oliver watched all of the people in Felicity’s life love her, he started to understand what Barry said earlier. If he couldn’t be in William’s life, at least he had these people there. It was clear they loved Felicity and William deeply.

They were all laughing and talking when he felt his phone vibrate. Oliver almost didn’t check it because he was having such a good time. But the second time it vibrated, he pulled it out and looked. What he read made dread fill his stomach.

**Tommy, 7:09:** _FYI, I’m hearing that Slade leaked to TMZ that you left AUS bc of family 911. You might wanna be on lookout for paps. Keep your head down._

**Tommy, 7:13:** _So they’re live-streaming your dinner right now on TMZ. Fucking Harvey is openly speculating on who each person is, and whether William is your kid or not… this is so bad, Ollie._

Fuck. Oliver looked out the open window to his right and saw a gaggle of paparazzi, all with their cameras pointed directly at their table.

* * *

Fall out from last chapter will continue for a few chapters yet, as will what happened at the very end. But that's just the price being "A-list" in America... Thanks for reading. 

 


	8. 08

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and William receive some late night visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan to finish posting this fic next week. Everything is written, with the exception of the epilogue. When I've started on. I thought I'd put this up tonight because I have an appointment in the morning. 
> 
> It's been a stressful few days (or weeks?) for me, and I hope it's been better for all of you. Thanks to everyone who has read and commented. It means a lot.

* * *

“Momma?” William clutched his stuffed bear tighter and tried again. “Momma?”

“Hmm?” Felicity was still mostly asleep. What time was it? “William, what’s wrong?”

“There’s a man outside, Momma. I’m scared.”

She was awake now. Felicity sat up and reached for her son. “Come here, baby.” William went into her arms willingly. She reached for her glasses. It was past midnight. “What happened?

“I saw somebody outside.” He pressed his face into her shoulder. “He was in the yard. Can I sleep in here?” Before she could answer, they both heard glass break downstairs. “Momma!” William shrieked.

As quietly as she could, Felicity got out of the bed and then picked William up. She carried him to her closet and put him inside. “I need you to stay here, okay? Be very quiet.”

“Momma, I’m scared,” he whined. “Don’t leave me.”

Every instinct she had told her to crawl in there with him. But she couldn’t. “I need you to be very quiet, baby. I’m gonna call Pop Pop.” It broke her heart to leave him, but Felicity knew she had to. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

She eased the door closed and immediately went for her phone. Instead of dialing 911, she called Quentin’s work phone. He answered after the second ring. “Hello?”

“It’s Felicity. Someone is trying to break into the house.” She could hear her mother wake-up in the background. “What do I do?”

“Do _not_ confront him, Felicity. Get William and hide.” Quentin kicked the blankets off. “I’m calling the station and I’ll be right there.” He paused. “Is Queen there?”

“No, he isn’t staying here.” She walked to the hallway and opened the closet there. A baseball bat she’d had since she and Caitlin had lived alone in Cambridge was propped against the wall. “Why?”

“No reason.” Quentin sighed. “You hide. I’m on my way,” he promised before he hung up.

Felicity grabbed the bat and stuffed the phone in her back pocket. She could hear whoever it was walking around the downstairs of her house. Ten minutes. She just needed to keep her cool for ten minutes and then Quentin would be there.

Maybe sooner.

She heard a chair squeak across the floor. He was in the kitchen. Felicity tightened her grip on the baseball bat and exhaled. She tiptoed to the stairs and started down. Her heart was racing, but she had to do this. It was up to her to protect herself and William.

In the distance, Felicity could hear the sirens. Her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. She felt her phone vibrate in her pants, but she ignored the call. It was probably her mother calling to check up on her. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned toward the kitchen.

“I can hear you,” she called. “I have a weapon!”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” a male voice answered. “I just want to ask you some questions about Oliver Dearden.”

“Oliver?” she echoed. Felicity heard some papers shuffle. “I don’t know anyone named Oliver.”

“He was at a dinner with you three nights ago at Spartan Grille. Your son sat on his lap,” the man said. “Your son, William Oliver Smoak, looks about five. We have a picture of Oliver at the same age, and there is a striking resemblance. So I’m here to ask if Oliver Dearden is the father of your son?”

Her mouth fell open, but no noise escaped. This was about Oliver. It was about William.

“Ms. Smoak?” he repeated. “Is it okay if I come in there?” He stepped to where the kitchen and living room met, a recorder held in his hand and a camera around his neck. “Will you answer my questions?”

Felicity’s eyes narrowed. “You broke into my home.”

“Did Oliver Dearden father your son, Ms. Smoak?” he asked.

A shitty paparazzo had broken into her house in the middle of the night to ask about Oliver. To ask about _William._ This was so not okay. “The police are on their way.”

As she said it, Quentin burst through the front door. “Felicity!” Two others came behind him, weapons drawn and trained on the paparazzo. Felicity saw five more come through the laundry room door the sleazebag must have broken into.

“I’m here,” she sobbed. “He’s a photog.” Felicity turned into Quentin’s embrace, not wanting to watch the unknown man get arrested. Her bat clattered to the floor. The other police officers started to sweep all the rooms of her house.

“I told you to stay put.” Quentin’s voice was soft, but there was a reprimand there. He hugged her to him harder.

“I know.” Felicity pressed her forehead into his shoulder. “I didn’t listen.”

“Where’s William?” When Felicity stepped back he sighed. “You should call your mother. She’s upset.”

“He’s in my closet upstairs. Probably terrified.” She sighed and pulled her phone from her pocket. There were ten missed calls from Donna. “I’ll get William. Any chance you’ll call Mom?”

Her stepfather made a face. “I see you're throwing me to the wolves.”

“Sorry.” Felicity gave him a smile before she started up the stairs.

“Hey, have you called Queen?” Quentin called after her.

She shook her head. “No, why?”

Her stepfather glanced at the man in handcuffs. “He didn’t break in here because you’re Felicity Smoak, sweetheart.” Quentin motioned to the stairs. “Get William. I’ll call your Mom.”

William was in the closet where she left him, curled in the back corner, behind her pants. “Baby?” she asked.

“Momma?” he whispered. “Is that you?”

“Yeah. You can come out now. Pop Pop got the bad man.” She held out her arms for him and William crawled into them. His little arms wrapped around her neck. “Let’s go, baby.”

She stood with him in her arms and carried him downstairs. Quentin was still on the phone, but the paparazzo was gone. Quentin held out the phone with one hand and reached for William with his other. “Hey, kiddo. Come to Pop Pop.”

Felicity checked that William was okay before she took the phone. “Everything’s okay, Mom.” She sat down on the couch, knowing she just needed to wait out her mother’s rant.

Felicity kept her eyes on Quentin and William while she listened to Donna. William’s face was tucked into his Pop Pop’s neck, but she was aware of his shaking body. Felicity huffed. “Mom, I gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow. Or later today. Whatever.” She didn’t wait for Donna to respond and just pressed the end button. Felicity tossed the phone on the couch and reached for her son. “Hey, buddy.”

William went to her willingly. “Momma,” he sobbed. His body was still shaking with fear. “I was so scared.”

“I know,” she murmured. “But Pop Pop took care of the bad man.” Felicity glanced into the kitchen. “He’s gone now.”

“Pop Pop did that?” William asked.

“Yup.” Felicity nodded. She smiled at William. “Everything’s okay now. That man is going to jail. That’s where we send bad men.”

“You promise he’s gone?”

“I promise.” Felicity pressed a kiss to his forehead. William laid his head against her shoulder and sighed. They sat back on the couch and waited.

After what felt like forever, Quentin approached Felicity let her know the house was cleared. “I’ll come over tomorrow to fix the glass pane in the laundry room door,” he promised.

“Pop Pop, can I come home with you tonight?” William asked. “You took care of the bad man.”

Felicity exchanged a glance with her stepfather, who had a question in his eyes. “William, there’s no bad man here anymore. It’s okay to sleep here.”

“I know,” the little boy agreed. “But I’m still scared.” Both adults inhaled at his admission. “Can I come sleep in your big bed with you and Gramma?” He looked at his Momma. “Is that okay?”

“It’s okay with me if it’s okay with Pop Pop,” she agreed.

“Of course, kiddo.” Quentin reached for the boy. “Come here. Let’s let Momma get you some clothes for tomorrow, okay?” He put his grandson on his hip and walked to where the last two officers were awaiting instruction. From the corner of his eye, he saw Felicity reach up and swipe at her own eyes before she stood and went up stairs. He made a mental note to talk to her tomorrow. Between this and everything else going on with Queen, she had to be at her wits’ end.

When she came back down, William’s overnight bag in hand, Felicity looked perfectly composed. Her eyes were slightly redder, but there was a smile painted on her face. The last of the police officers had left just before she came down. Quentin took the bag from her hand. “You’re welcome to come stay the night, too, you know.”

She shook her head. “Thanks, but no.” Felicity glanced around her house. It was unlikely she would sleep anymore that night, but she would definitely find things to keep herself occupied. “I’ll be okay here.” Quentin frowned, but let it drop.

Once final hugs and kisses were exchanged with William, and Quentin and encouraged her to _call Queen_ one more time, Felicity was finally alone. She went to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker, knowing it was going to be a long night. That’s when she saw the folder.

Spread before her was all the information the paparazzo had gathered about her, William, and Oliver in a matter of days. Work history, birth certificates, Facebook photos, and a loose timeline of the last six years of their lives. It was unbelievable. He’d put this all together just by observing them together at dinner, and in the days since.

Felicity was _furious._ She suddenly understood why Quentin kept telling her to call Oliver. She’d wanted to put it off until the next day, no matter how angry it would make him, but she knew she couldn’t. Not with this information floating around out there.

Once she dialed, Felicity almost hung up three times before it connected. Oliver answered after the second ring. “Hey, it’s late.”

She sighed. Might as well rip off the band-aid. “A pap broke into my house earlier.”

He threw the covers off. “Say that again?”

“A paparazzo broke into my house,” she repeated. “Through the laundry room. I called the police, and we’re okay, but Oliver—”

“William’s okay?”

“Yes.” Felicity tried to ignore that he didn’t ask about her. “He went home with Quentin.” She sighed again. “Listen. He had this folder that I think you need to see. It has… everything in it.”

“What do you mean everything?” he questioned. Oliver was already getting dressed. He pulled his jeans on from earlier and a clean t-shirt, socks, and shoes. He needed to leave a note for Thea and John, plus find his keys.

“Pictures, birth certificates, our work histories. All the times you’ve been in Starling for the last ten years. The guy has post-it notes speculating about when William was conceived.” Felicity huffed. “I know we don’t have everything sorted, but I really think it’s time you put out a statement. It’s not okay people are breaking into my house and scaring my son.”

“I know,” he sighed. “Is it okay if I come over? I know you said William isn’t there, but I’d like to see with my own eyes that you’re okay.”

She almost said no. She should’ve said no. “Oliver—”

“And I’d like to see what the pap had, too,” he added. “So I know what to tell Tommy.”

“Okay,” she acquiesced. It wasn’t like she was planning to sleep anyway.

“I’ll see you in twenty minutes then,” he said before he hung up.

Felicity put her phone down on the table and went to the coffee pot. She poured herself a cup and fixed it the way she liked it and then took the folder into the living room. She planned to familiarize herself with every piece of paper in it before Oliver got there.

As she read, Felicity felt all of her anger and frustration from previous days return. How could she have been so _stupid?_ There was nothing that stopped this man from getting records of William’s birth, as it was a public document. But a lot of the photos were from her own Facebook account. She thought she’d locked those down. “To be so smart,” she muttered.

And Oliver! He really lived his life in public, didn’t he? That was of his own choosing. But Felicity didn’t want that for herself or for William. As William’s mother she should get to make that choice and Oliver needed to respect it. If that meant they needed to get a lawyer involved as soon as possible, then that’s what needed to happen.

The worst part was that Felicity didn’t want William to get hurt in all of this. It was clear in just the couple of days Oliver had been around that the little boy adored him. Felicity understood the mistake she’d made years ago when she opted to not tell Oliver. She understood when Oliver said it wasn’t her choice to make whether he was going to be in William’s life or not. And now she was paying for that choice every day. But Felicity was terrified that Oliver was going to leave him and William wouldn’t understand.

He was just a kid. William didn’t understand things like being on location for weeks at a time, or filming schedules, or movie budgets. That was the world Oliver lived in, but it wasn’t the world Felicity and William lived in.

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice the time pass. When the knock sounded on her door, it was almost 2 a.m., but Felicity knew it was Oliver and she wasn’t alarmed. She answered it without checking out the window and was shocked to see him there with a duffle bag and an envelope under his arm. “Come in.”

Oliver dropped his duffle and the envelope in the chair and quickly enveloped her in a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

She stood their stiffly, unsure how she should respond. Finally, she reached one arm up and returned his hug. “Thanks.” When he pulled back, she noticed his frown. “What’s wrong?”

He shook it off. “Show me where he got in at.”

Felicity led him back to the laundry room, which was off the kitchen, and they both saw the glass next to the lock had been punched out. “Is this room not alarmed?” he asked.

“I’m working on it,” she told him. “All of the other doors and windows are.”

Oliver gestured to the door. “Do you need me to get someone over here to fix that?”

“No. Quentin said he’ll take care of it tomorrow.” She glanced down at the glass on the floor. “I guess I should get that tonight, though.”

“Leave it,” he told her. “I’ll get it.” Oliver took her elbow to steer her back towards the kitchen. “Show me the folder.”

Felicity jerked away from him. “Don’t touch me.”

“What is wrong with you?” he asked. “You’ve been acting like this for days now.”

She spun around and glared at him. “Are you serious? How do you expect me to act?” Felicity was aware her voice was raised, so she stopped and took a deep breath. “Oliver, you have turned my life upside down in just a couple of days. I’m very aware of how much I fucked up six years ago, and in the time since, but you _threatened_ me with a _lawyer._ So I’m not certain how you expect I’m going to react to that, but this is what you’re going to get.”

She stomped out of the kitchen, into the living room, and retrieved the folder the paparazzo had left. “I haven’t looked at all of the pictures, but he did his homework. You’re not going to be able to deny William is your son.”

“You think I want to deny William is my son?” he asked. Oliver took a step towards, but Felicity stepped back. “That’s not what I want at all. God, Felicity—” He cut himself off with a growl. “I _waited_ for you. Every time I came home I _looked_ for you. I half thought you were a figment of my imagination,” he confessed. “We both know I’ve been with other people. The whole fucking world knows I’ve been with other people. But the thing is, every time I got close to someone new, my heart would remind me that it _wasn’t you._ ”

“No, no, no, no, no.” Felicity shook her head. “We’re not doing this now. Or _ever_.” She shoved the folder at him. “Sit down at look at this. I’ll make you some coffee and we can talk about what’s in that folder and what happened tonight, but I’m not going down that road with you again, Oliver.”

“Why not?” he asked.

Instead of answering him, Felicity turned and busied herself with rinsing her cup from before out. She made herself a fresh cup of coffee and then poured him a cup. When she returned her attention to him, he was seated at the head of the table, studying the photos carefully. Felicity hadn’t had a lot of time to look at those earlier. She wandered over and set his cup down and then took her own seat. As he discarded each photo, Felicity would pick them up.

“You’re in this picture,” Oliver murmured. He laid it flat on the table and pointed to a face in the crowd. Felicity was surprised to see it was from the _Justice Society_ movie premiere six years previous. “That’s you.”

It was her. In the long red, vee cut dress she and Iris had spent hours looking for one Sunday afternoon. In that color Felicity stood out like an oasis in the desert. It was pre-William body, back before her hips had widened and she had fat on her thighs she couldn’t get rid of no matter how much she exercised, and her stomach was toned instead of the tiny pooch she carried today. “I told you I was there.”

“I didn’t believe you.” Because why would she come all the way from Starling to L.A. and not say anything. “Why didn’t you do anything to get my attention?”

Felicity sighed. “You kissed Laurel. Or Laurel kissed you.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. There was kissing. You arrived together that night, and all week I’d been reading speculation about the two of you and I guess it just…” Felicity looked away. “It got in my head. We didn’t make a plan to meet up, but I thought I’d find you once I got inside, you know? I hacked myself a ticket to the movie. Then I saw what I saw and—” She made a face. “I ran away.”

Oliver tried to process everything she was telling him. He neatly stacked the photos and other documents together and shut them inside the envelope. “I didn’t just wait for you, Felicity. I looked for you.”

“Oliver—”

“No,” he stopped her. “You said your peace and now I get to say mine. Every time I came back here, I would stop by Helix hoping to run into you. I would hear your laugh and stop random women in the street because I thought… It was never you.” Oliver sighed. “I begged you to take my phone number, to give me your last name, for _any_ piece of information, but you kept saying no. But I knew from that first night that I wanted to see you again. That wasn’t because of William either, Felicity. It was because I was crazy attracted to you, and I was terrified I’d never feel that way again.”

His words made her heart beat faster. “We’re not going down this road, Oliver. William and I live here, and you live in Los Angeles. This is not the time for woulda, coulda, shoulda.”

Oliver covered her hand with his briefly. “Speaking of where you two live, I want to show you something. And I want you to keep an open mind. It’s in the living room.” Felicity watched him stand and leave the room only to return with the envelope he’d walked in with earlier. He retook his same seat and opened the envelope. “I spoke with my mother’s realtor the morning after your birthday, and she was able to get me a list of properties available in Starling. I think this one has a lot of potential, but I wanted you to look at the specs before I made an offer.”

She could feel her head spin. Property? Potential? Specs? “Are you planning to buy a place up here?”

“No.” He slid a listing brochure across the table to her. “This is for you and William.”

“William and I live in this house.” Felicity dropped her eyes to the paper she was holding. “This isn’t even in this neighborhood.”

“I know. It’s a neighborhood close to where my mother lives.” Oliver gave her a sincere smile and then pointed to something on the paper. “The house comes with a two acres of land, which is already fenced in, plus a state-of-the-art security system, and the entire community is monitored by security cameras and there’s a guard on duty at all times.”

“You want William and I to live here?” She shook her head. “In this... monstrosity of a house?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that house,” he said. “I picked it because I thought you’d like it.”

“I like _my house,_ ” she emphasized. “My house has character. It’s made of wood and bricks and hardwood floors. It’s a place where real people live, Oliver. I like the school district my house is in, and how close I live to my parents, and I like that I can walk next door to visit with my neighbors, not have to get in the car and drive.” Felicity looked down at the paper again. “William is not going to grow up in a house like that.”

“I grew up in a house like that!” Oliver knew his voice was raised. “Sorry.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “The house I grew up in had character and wood floors, too. Just because I attended private school didn’t make me more privileged than anyone else.”

She scoffed. “That’s _exactly_ what it did, Oliver!” Felicity stood and went to the coffee maker. “I understand that William is your son, and that you get a say, but I won’t have him grow up like, like—” She flung her hand out at him.

“Like me?” he asked. “You won’t have him grow up like me?” Oliver stood and stalked towards her. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with how I grew up.” He was standing across from her now. “William is going to be the heir to the Dearden fortune and you need to understand that with comes certain responsibility.”

Felicity took a step forward. “William is five years old and you will not start filling his head with this _crap_ about being an heir. He is a _kid_ and his biggest worries need to be learning how to ride his bike or getting a dog.”

“You’ll have room for a dog at the new house.” This was as close as they’d been in days and she was clouding his senses. “I think that’s another thing to consider.”

Felicity glared at him. “There’s room for a dog at _this house_. You irritating, insufferable man.” She shook her head. “You can call your real estate agent in the morning and tell her that you’ll pass on that house.”

“Too late,” he murmured. Oliver took another step forward. “I bought it this afternoon.”

“Idiotic, irritating—” She grabbed his face and pulled his mouth to hers. Felicity had thought about kissing him on and off for days now and with him standing there, glaring at her, she couldn’t help herself. His lips were as soft as she remembered, and instead of whiskey and leather, tonight he tasted like black coffee and leather. Felicity dipped her tongue inside of his mouth and twirled it around his. But Oliver didn’t let her stay in control for long. His hands went to her hips as he chased her tongue into her mouth. He walked her back to the counter and effortlessly lifted her up so he could step between her open legs.

“Insufferable woman,” he sighed. He pressed kisses up her cheek to her ear and the tugged the lobe between his teeth. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I saw you again.” His tongue dipped out and traced the outline. “Taste so good.”

Felicity felt wetness pool in her underwear. She would hate herself in the morning, but that was tomorrow. “Please.”

“Please what?” he asked. Oliver kissed her again. He sucked her tongue into his mouth and his hand found her nipple through her shirt. Felicity wiggled against his hand. “Is that what you want? You want me to play with your nipple?”

She pulled him closer using his jeans as leverage. “For the record, I don’t like you.” Felicity pressed her hand against the growing bulge in his jeans. “You’re an arrogant ass—oh Google, yes!” He’d pulled her shirt half off and pulled her bra cup down. The blonde released him and pulled her t-shirt over her head and then tossed her bra to the side.

Oliver used his teeth against the nipple, nipping and sucking. Her small fingers were wrapped in his hair and he could smell how wet she was. “You like that, huh?”

“Stop talking and touch me,” she snapped. Felicity reached for his belt and started to loosen his pants. “I need something inside of me. Now.”

He stopped her. “I don’t have a condom.” Oliver looked her in the eyes as he said this. They were both aware of the consequences of unsafe sex. “So this is just for you.”

“I have an implant,” she rushed out. “If you’re…” Felicity looked away. They’d spent a lot of time talking around his playboy reputation, and very little talking about her non-existent lovelife. “I’m clean if you are.”

Despite his hands being inside of her underwear, Oliver stopped everything he was doing. “Look at me, please.” When she did, he wasn’t surprised to see her red face. “I’m clean, and I believe you if you say you are. Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” She licked her lips. “I do.” Felicity leaned forward and kissed him. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed kisses over his face. “I want you to fuck me now.”

His heart sped up and Oliver fully hardened in his pants. The girl of his dreams was begging to be fucked. He helped her remove her pants fully, and then together they removed his. When Felicity wrapped her hand around his dick and tugged, Oliver thought he was going to come on the spot. “Easy,” he whispered.

“It’s as beautiful as I remember,” she told him.

He leaned over and licked a stripe up her vagina. Using his fingers, he parted her lips and tapped her clitoris with his tongue. Felicity bucked against his face. “Careful.” He squeezed her hip to keep her on the counter, and used his tongue to lick her juices up. She was as sweet as he remembered. “I want to taste you, baby.”

“Next time,” Felicity promised. “Inside me.”

Oliver straightened. They pushed his jeans down to his ankles and Oliver stepped forward. He held her open while Felicity lined his dick up with her opening. They both looked down and watched as her body accepted him. She made a tiny groaning sound and at that moment Oliver was certain it was sexiest thing he’d ever heard. “You okay?”

Felicity wiggled her hips against him. “It’s been awhile.” She raised her leg over his hip and smiled. “I’m good.”

He lifted her other leg and started to pull out. She squeezed him all the way. “Fuck,” he sighed.

“Tell me about it.” Felicity dropped her head to his shoulder. “I want it hard.”

“I won’t last,” he warned her. Oliver didn’t know the last time he’d been inside of someone without a condom. He’d probably been a teenager. Fucking without a condom was something irresponsible Oliver Queen did. It was not the actions of Oliver Dearden. It was also a completely different sexual experience. That, combined with the fact that it was _Felicity_ he was fucking, and he knew he’d never be able to hold out.

She dropped a hand down between them to her clit. “Fuck me, Oliver.”

“Oh Jesus.” His eyes settled on where she was touching herself and he began rocking back and forth. Her moans chorused in his ears, and as soon as he felt her start to flutter, he pushed her harder. “Fucking you has always been the best experience of my life,” he whispered. “Your pussy just wraps around me and welcomes me inside.” Oliver pulled her ear into his mouth. “But there’s one thing I forgot, Felicity.”

“What’s that?” she groaned.

“Once is never enough. It’s not nearly enough. Now that I’ve had you again, I need you over and over.” He pushed her forward. “I need to taste your sweet juices in my mouth, and see those pouty lips stretched over my dick, and I want to bend you over the couch in there and slid my cock into you while I play with your asshole—”

“Oh god, I’m coming!” Felicity bit his shoulder as her pussy clamped down around him.

Her orgasm triggered his and Oliver had just enough presence of mind to pull out before he erupted. His semen gushed over her thighs and stomach. Oliver apologized in a quiet voice, but Felicity just reached down to touch the gooey white substance. They leaned against each other, both trying to catch their breath. Then Felicity laughed. “That’s one way to settle an argument.”

“What were we fighting over again?” he asked.

“The ugly house you bought and expect me to live in,” she answered. “I’m still pissed about that, by the way.” Just because he’d temporarily distracted her didn’t mean she’d forgotten.

“Felicity, I need you two safe,” he sighed.

“Hey,” Felicity said gently. “Can we talk about this later? I think we could both use a shower and a couple hours of sleep.”

Oliver reluctantly agreed. He stepped back and helped her off the counter. He watched in admiration as she picked up her discarded clothes from around the kitchen. They both got their shower, but neither got any sleep that night.

< \- - - >

The next morning (or the same morning, depending on how you looked at things) Felicity got up and made Oliver pancakes. It was one of the few meals she could cook without needing to call the fire department.

She had a stack of pancakes six high and a full coffee pot when there was a knock on the door. Felicity frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone. And as far she knew, no one knew Oliver was there. Turning down the stove, she walked to the living room and peaked through the glass.

Huh. What was Tommy Merlyn doing on her front porch before 9 a.m.?

Felicity opened the door with a smile. “Hi?”

The agent pulled down his sunglasses. “Felicity, right? I’m Tommy Merlyn.”

“I know who you are,” she answered. “Can I help you?”

“Thea said Oliver was here,” Tommy explained. “I have some contracts I need him to sign. I need to get them faxed to Vancouver right away.”

“Oh, okay.” Felicity stepped back and opened the door. She showed him the kitchen table. “If you’ll wait here, I’ll get Oliver.”

She quickly went upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door. Oliver was where she’d left him, asleep, curled beneath the covers. He looked like William when he slept. It made her heart ache. Felicity sat down next to him and shook his shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hmmm?”

“Tommy’s downstairs,” she told him. “Says he has contracts for you?”

Oliver closed his eyes, but nodded. “Yeah. For the GA movie. Sorry, I completely forgot.”

“It’s okay.” Felicity leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, then pulled back. _Why had she done that? Was that something they did now?_ “I’ll give you a minute.”

“Thanks.” Before he let her get too far away, Oliver caught her arm and pulled her back. He kissed her full on the mouth, his tongue dipping between her lips. “Sorry about the morning breath.”

“S’ok.” She smiled against his lips. “We’ll be in the kitchen.”

Felicity went back downstairs and found Tommy where she left him. He’d pulled some papers from a manila folder that were tabbed and notated and was looking over them. “How do you take your coffee, Tommy?”

“With cream?” He looked around the kitchen. “Is your little boy around?”

She shook her head. “No, he spent the night with my parents. He’ll be around later.”

“Oh. I was hoping to meet him.” He smiled in thanks at the coffee Felicity set down in front of him.

“Do you want any pancakes? I was making some for Oliver and myself.” She held up the plate to show him.

“That’s okay,” he refused. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“It’s not a problem. I have a little batter left over.” Tommy still shook his head, so Felicity went about making Oliver’s coffee and breakfast and put it on the table before she made her own. She placed Oliver’s food closest to Tommy and herself towards the end of the table. She’d already brought her iPad in so she could catch up on the news of the day while she waited for him to wake up.

When Oliver came downstairs, he was wearing fresh clothes. He’d washed his face and brushed his teeth, but that was all. He sat down at the place set for him and grinned over at Felicity. “This looks great, babe.”

“You’re welcome.” Felicity looked back at her screen and tried to tune out the two men.

“What’s up?” Oliver asked Tommy.

“I got the final contract offer from the Vancouver studio for GA,” Tommy said. “I think you’ll be happy.”

“What’re they offering?” Oliver cut into his stack of pancakes, before he reached for the syrup and poured more on top. “I hope it’s better than that shitty offer they made last time.”

“It is. It’s $20 mill for the movie upfront, plus the usual residuals on the backend. You’ll get a producer credit, too. They rented you a penthouse in the West End with great views, and they’re providing a driver to and from the set each day. Groceries delivered three times a week, plus a cleaning service twice a week.” Tommy wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m sure you could ask for the same girl as last time.”

Oliver cut his eyes over to Felicity and shook his head. “Not for me, man. Not anymore.” He sighed. “What about Digg?”

“They got him an apartment in the same building as you. Same grocery and cleaning service. It’s all taken care of,” Tommy answered. He held out a pen.

“So what’s the catch?” Oliver asked. “All of this sounds too good to be true.”

“The catch is you’re going to filming in fucking Canada for eight months, Oliver. Including the entirety of winter.” The agent rolled his eyes. “What’s the catch, my ass.”

“Tommy—”

“You’re going to Canada for eight months?” Felicity asked. She’d tried really hard to not listen, but they weren’t exactly being quiet. “What about William?”

Tommy picked up the pen and held it out. “You have to sign these, Ollie. They need to be filed by 10 a.m. or the deal is null and void.”

Oliver took the pen from his oldest friend, but hesitated to put his signature on the bottom of the contract. He looked between Tommy and Felicity, both of them with expectation written on their face. He didn’t know what to do. Finally, he said, “I’ll find a way to see William. I promise.” He scribbled his name across the contract and initialed in all the places where Tommy told him to.

Once he was finished, he looked at the blonde. She had tears in her eyes. Oliver couldn’t help but think he’d failed some sort of test with her. “It’s going to be okay,” he promised.

Felicity shook her head. She stood from the table and began to collect their breakfast dishes. “I contacted a family law attorney yesterday and I’ll have him contact your family attorney later today. What did you say her name was again?”

“Jean Loring.” He felt his heart constrict painfully. That wasn’t what he wanted. “Felicity—”

“I’m sorry,” she cut him off. “I think you should go. I’d like to get a couple hours of sleep before my parents bring William back. Quentin promised he would come fix the window around lunchtime.”

Oliver sighed heavily. He’d clearly fucked up after they’d made so much progress the night before. “Can I come see William later?”

“Call first,” she requested. “We might be busy, otherwise.”

He felt Tommy come up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Oliver took a steadying breath. Whatever glimmer of hope that was there last night, she was shutting it down this morning. “I guess I’ll see you.”

“Goodbye, Oliver.” She looked at Tommy. “Mr. Merlyn.” Felicity walked behind them to the front door, and closed it firmly behind them. She turned the door lock and the dead bolt, then slid down the side of the door. The blonde buried her face in her hands and cried.

* * *

So, like I mentioned at the beginning of last chapter - this kind of bookends 8. And then chapters 9 & 10 flow together, too. Missy did a lot of work on this chapter (& 9) to make it what it is today. 

 


	9. 09

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver heads to Vancouver to shoot his movie, while Felicity and William try to adjust to their lives without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is. The chapter that (I think) you've been waiting for. I plan to have the rest of this story posted by the end of the week. Lots of thanks goes out to Missy for her help with this one. <3

* * *

From: **Tommy Merlyn** < [ tmerlyn@repsbymerlyn.com ](mailto:tmerlyn@repsbymerlyn.com)>

To: <undisclosed-recipients>

Subject: Oliver Dearden

_It seems the press has recently become aware that Mr. Dearden has a child with a former girlfriend from Starling, Washington. A brazen paparazzo felt it was necessary to break into their home in the middle of the night to gather information about his child and the child’s mother. This only served to terrify them both, as they are private citizens and have opted to live their lives away from the glare of the limelight. Mr. Dearden and the child’s mother request that you respect their privacy, but remind you that if you cannot they fully intend to prosecute any lawbreakers to the fullest extent possible. There will be no more statements issued regarding the minor child._

Felicity read the statement three times before she passed it to her attorney, Sam Armand. She saw him make notes in the margins and suggestions for edits. When he was satisfied, he passed the statement back to her. Felicity quickly re-read the statement, with his improvements, and nodded. She passed it back to Oliver. “Tell Tommy thank you for not throwing me under the bus.”

“Of course.” The truth was, he’d insisted on calling Felicity an old girlfriend. Tommy had eventually come around, but it’d taken some cajoling. He looked at his attorney. “Jean?”

“I think we all know why we’re here today. And I think we all know the usual custody agreement won’t work in this case.” She glanced down at her paper. “So I’m suggesting—”

“Excuse me,” Felicity interrupted. “What’s the _usual custody agreement?_ I’m kind of new to this.”

“It’s fine, Felicity,” Sam answered. “Typically, in situations like this, a court would award primary physical custody to one parent and then visitation rights to the other. Usually something like every other weekend, switching off at the holidays, and two weeks during the summer.” He glanced at Oliver. “But given Mr. Dearden’s atypical work schedule, I don’t feel like that would work.”

“Right,” she agreed. “And we’re trying to avoid involving the court, right?”

“Yes,” Oliver stated. The last thing he wanted was another public document someone could drudge up and post on TMZ. “That would be my preference.”

Felicity studied him. “How often do you want to see William, then?”

“As much as possible.” His answer was automatic. He was in love with his son and wanted to spend all the time he could with him. He’d already missed so much.

“How would you make that work around your filming schedules, then?” she asked. “You leave for Canada in two weeks and will be gone for eight months. Two weeks ago you were in Australia for months on end, which is literally the other side of the world. I don’t even know all the places you’ve been in the last five years.” Felicity could feel her emotions start to overwhelm her. She’d been thinking about this for days, and every time she started to get upset. She turned to the attorneys. “What would you all suggest?”

“I have a bit of a crazy idea,” Jean stated. “Ms. Smoak you’re going to have keep an open mind about this, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed tentatively.

“I’ve looked over all of Oliver’s contracts for the last three years, and they all include housing. Typically a one bedroom, but it wouldn’t be much for them to upgrade him to a second bedroom for William. Would you be open to William flying to where Oliver is filming and visiting him there one weekend each month that he’s on set? Oliver will cover the cost of the flight, of course.”

“William is five, he can’t fly by himself,” Felicity protested. “And he starts school in September.”

“It won’t interfere with his school,” Oliver promised. “Please, Felicity.” He could hear the desperation in his own voice. “As for flying by himself, he won’t have to. I’ll pay for someone to fly with him. I know my mom or Thea will do it. You or Barry, if he’s interested. It’ll be like a free vacation one weekend a month.”

“I guess we can try this while you’re in Vancouver.” She’d looked already. Vancouver was a little more than 250 miles from Starling. It was a four hour drive. And it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford an emergency flight if necessary. “What about when you’re in L.A.?”

Oliver shook his head. “When I’m not filming, I’m planning to be in Starling. I put my condo in Calabasas up for sale last week. I still have the one I bought ten years ago in Manhattan Beach that I can stay in if I need to visit overnight, but I’m planning to move my homebase up here.”

“That’s… Wow.” Why hadn’t he told her any of this. Felicity wrinkled her nose. “Are you going to live in that house you bought?”

“I have contractors out there working now,” he told her. Oliver looked at Jean. “So if I’m here when I’m not filming, would it be possible to have something like a fifty-fifty split?”

The attorney looked at Felicity. “Ms. Smoak?”

“You won’t insist on a private school? He can attend the school in my district? And you’ll be mindful of the things you buy while he’s with you?” Felicity was aware they hadn’t discussed money yet, but she was going to stick to her principles regarding financial support. She didn’t want or need Oliver’s money. She read enough celebrity gossip to know what was said about women who got pregnant with an A-list actor's child. “And we’ll discuss the bigger purchases _together._ ”

“William can attend the school you want him to attend,” Oliver agreed. “And, we can talk about money later.”

“No,” Jean interrupted. “I think we should settle financial support now.”

“I don’t want any,” Felicity stated. She looked at her lawyer. “I don’t want his money.”

“Felicity—”

“No.”

“What if he puts it in a trust for the child?” Sam suggested. “Like a college fund?”

She shifted in her seat. “If he wants to pay for William to go to college, I will agree to that. But I don’t want Oliver’s financial support on a day-to-day basis. William and I are comfortable financially.” Felicity glanced over at Oliver. “I understand what I’m turning down.”

“What about a trust fund?” Jean questioned. “Would you be comfortable with that?”

“Only if William doesn’t get access to it until he’s 30.” She saw Oliver roll his eyes. “I’m serious, Oliver. And no unlimited credit cards or bank accounts you put money in each week for him. He’s a kid and I fully intend to teach him the value of a dollar.”

He leaned forward. “Why are you making him struggle when he doesn’t have to, Felicity?”

Felicity shook her head at him. “Who would you be without your name and your money, Oliver?”

It felt like she slapped him. As the one-time heir to two great fortunes, and having been made to give up his claim to one of those, Oliver had struggled with his identity. Felicity didn’t know that, of course. She didn’t know the struggle he went through with his father. But it didn’t make her statement sting any less.

“I think we’re at a stopping point,” Felicity’s lawyer interjected. “Mrs. Loring can you recap the things we discussed and decided on today?”

“Yes.” Jean recognized the hollow look on Oliver’s face. Even if the blonde across the table didn’t realize it, she’d hurt him. “We agreed that the minor child, William, will visit Mr. Dearden on set one weekend each month while he’s in Vancouver. Mr. Dearden will pay for William to fly up to visit him, along with an adult. The child will stay with Mr. Dearden in his studio-provided apartment and the adult will stay in a hotel Mr. Dearden pays for. Mr. Dearden also indicated he is moving from Los Angeles to Starling, and has already purchased a property that is currently being renovated. When he is in Starling, Ms. Smoak and Mr. Dearden agreed to share custody with William living with each of them fifty percent of the time. Mr. Dearden agreed to Ms. Smoak’s choice of school for William, and Ms. Smoak expressed concerns regarding spending.

“Mr. Dearden agreed to establish a college fund for the child and Ms. Smoak agreed to a trust fund, available once William turns 30.” Jean frowned. “We didn’t establish the value of the trust. Oliver?”

He shrugged. “It’ll be the same as mine and Thea’s.” Jean made a notation on her paper.

“Which was?” Felicity asked.

“Uh, $200 million.” Oliver looked away, not wanting to see her reaction.

Oh _Google_. Her kid was about to be worth… _a lot_.

“Is there anything else?” Jean asked. No one spoke. “Well then, I’ll get this typed up and will messenger them over to Mr. Chase’s office. You’ll need to sign them, Ms. Smoak.” She stood and waited for Oliver. “It’s been nice to meet you Ms. Smoak. Mr. Armand.”

< \- - - >

> **Susan Williams** @susan_williams 
> 
> BREAKING: .@odearden confirms love child with ex-gf in statement issued by @tmerlynreps. Read statement here.
> 
> **Susan Williams** @susan_williams
> 
> Hearing from sources that @odearden’s ex-gf has cushy job at @queenindustries …. #thingsthatmakeyougohmmm
> 
> **TMZ** @tmz
> 
> BREAKING: Exclusively on TMZ! Interview with @thatlaurel who thinks @odearden cheated on her with his ex-gf and baby mama! #drama

 Felicity hit the red X with a sigh. How had this become her life? People online—not just people, but gossip reporters and websites—were talking about her and Oliver. Like today wasn’t just another Tuesday.

If she’d known six years ago… The blonde shook her head. That night with Oliver gave her William. And no matter the consequences now, William was the best thing in her life. At least none of them had figured out his name yet. Or if they had, the statement Tommy issued threatening prosecution was keeping them at bay.

Oliver had been gone three weeks. And as much as Felicity hated to admit it, she missed him. She missed having him at her house every day, playing with William. She missed hearing William laugh like he had no cares in the world. The only time she heard it now was when Oliver would find time to Skype or Facetime them. But she understood he was busy on set.

**Oliver, 11:53a** : _I saw the interview Laurel gave TMZ. I’m sorry._

Felicity sighed. She wanted to put it out of her mind, not talk about it.

**Felicity, 11:53a:** _I didn’t click on it. The dribble Susan Williams is putting out is bad enough. She’s worse than Bethany Snow._

A bubble immediately appeared to show he was responding.

**Oliver, 11:53a:** _How are you? I know this hasn’t been easy._

**Felicity, 11:54a:** _… I’m not sure how to answer that question? The people who matter understand what’s going on. I just hate to see what this is doing to William._

**Oliver, 11:55a:** _It won’t be forever. Are you coming up with him next weekend?_  

**Felicity, 11:55a:** _I thought I might? If you don’t mind… I know you might want to see your sister or Mom, but it’s his first trip out of the country. I won’t come every time, I promise._

**Oliver, 11:56a:** _It’s fine, Felicity. I get it. You have his passport all squared away?_

**Felicity, 11:56a:** _Yup. Came in the mail last week._

**Felicity, 11:56a:** _g2g. Your mom just walked into my office…?_

She sat the phone face down on her desk. “Mrs. Queen? Can I help you?”

“Hello, Felicity.” Moira stood stiffly. She looked around the small office, noticing the many pictures the other woman had on display. Moira couldn’t recall if she’d ever been down to this floor before for a visit. “How are you?”

“I’m well, and you?” Felicity gestured to the single chair in front of her desk. “Would you like to sit?”

“No, thank you.” She smiled down at her son’s one time… _something._ “I’m here to ask if you and William would like to join us for dinner some night this week. With Oliver away, I find the house to be too empty for my liking.”

“Oh.” The younger woman frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, quite. I thought of asking permission to visit with William while he was in daycare here, but knew it would only cause gossip. Having you over for dinner seems like a better option.”

“I agree,” Felicity responded. She could only imagine the tweets and headlines once news of Moira Dearden Queen visiting a five year old boy in the QI daycare got out. “What day do you have in mind?”

“Any day that works with your schedule,” Moira answered. “I wasn’t sure if you had standing plans with your own family.”

“How about tomorrow then?” Felicity asked. They did eat with her parents once a week, but it was on Monday. “Would that work?”

“Absolutely.” The Queen matriarch smiled. “Are there any food allergies I should be aware of? Or any foods William won’t eat?”

“I have a nut allergy, but William has a very healthy appetite. And he’s very open to trying new things.” The younger woman smiled. “Will Thea be there? William would love to see her.”

“Yes.” Moira turned to go. “Oh, will 6 p.m. work? We usually eat later, but I assume with William we needed to adjust—”

“Six is great, Mrs. Queen.”

“Call me Moira, please.” She smiled again. “You’re the mother to my only grandchild, I think you’ve earned the right.”

Once the CEO was gone, Felicity closed her eyes. _What the hell just happened?_

She reached for her phone, unsurprised to find three new texts from Oliver. She read them quickly, and then responded.

**Felicity, 12:06p:** _So William and I were just invited to dinner at your mother’s tomorrow night. WTF._

< \- - - >

The Queen Mansion was _ridiculous._ No wonder Oliver bought such an ostentatious house if this was what he grew up in. “Don’t touch anything,” Felicity whispered to William. She was afraid it’d take all of her savings and then some to replace it.

She rang the doorbell and waited. A short, dark-haired woman answered. “Can I help you?”

“Hi. We’re here for dinner.”

“Ah. Ms. Smoak and Mr. William.” She leaned over and shook William’s hand. “I am Raisa. I knew your father when he was your size.”

“You did?” William asked. He looked past her. “Is my dad here?”

“No. Mr. Oliver is working in Canada right now.” Raisa frowned when the boy’s face fell. She looked at Felicity. “He not know?”

“He knows.” Felicity smoothed a hand over William’s neck. “He just misses Oliver.”

“Me too, sweet boy.” The Russian housekeeper stepped to the side. “Come, I make Mr. Oliver’s favorite for you to try. Pot roast and my blini for you.”

William’s face lit up. “It’s my Dad’s favorite?”

“Yes, Mr. William.” Raisa led them to the sitting room. “I can show you how to make, if you want. I taught Mr. Oliver how to cook when he was your age.”

“Can I, Momma?” William’s eyes were round and hopeful. And there was no way she could tell him no. When she nodded, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you!”

Raisa reached out a hand for him. “I tell Mrs. Queen you are here, Ms. Smoak.”

< \- - - >

John Diggle was waiting for them at the airport. Felicity was slightly disappointed Oliver hadn’t come himself. But it was understandable, given they’d opted for a morning flight so William could spend more time with him. Once William spotted John, he took off running. Felicity had no choice but to run after him, calling, “William!” the entire time. More than one person looked at her like she was crazy.

William was in Digg’s arms by the time she caught up. “Don’t ever do that again,” she scolded him. “You can’t just run off like that.”

“Sorry, Momma,” he told her. Except he didn’t look sorry at all. William craned his head, looking around. “Hey Digg, where’s my Dad?”

“Not here, buddy.” Diggle shifted his grip on William. “Let’s grab your bags and head to the hotel.”

“I’m not staying at the hotel,” William protested. “I’m staying at Daddy’s apartment. He showed me on the iPad.”

“I’m staying at the hotel,” Felicity reminded him. “Remember?”

The little boy frowned. “Why don’t you stay at the apartment with me? You can sleep in Daddy’s bed.”

“William—”

“Momma,” he continued, “Daddy can sleep on the floor in my room like he did before. Remember? Before he left to shoot his movie? Why can’t you do that now?”

Felicity pressed a hand to his cheek. “Sweetie, Momma doesn’t want to intrude on the fun times your Daddy has planned for you. He has a boys’ weekend planned. Having a stinky girl there like Momma will ruin it.”

The five-year-old pouted. “You don’t stink Momma.”

“Think you can help me out here?” She asked Diggle, who looked as if he was trying to hold in laughter. “Look, baby, Momma and Daddy have an agreement concerning…” Felicity searched for the right word, but none came. “Concerning movie weekend visits, okay? And while Daddy’s filming a movie, he only has a little bit of time to spend with you, so Momma doesn’t want to be in the way. Do you understand?”

The little boy’s face fell. He didn’t understand. “Okay, Momma.”

“We should grab your bags,” Diggle said. He took charge and led them to the baggage carousel. William had a Batman suitcase that was easily identifiable that Digg grabbed for him, and Felicity grabbed her own duffel. She only planned to sight-see this weekend, so she’d packed casual dresses and shoes, plus her travel steamer.

Once that was squared away, Diggle took them to the lot where he’d parked the car. “Oliver booked you a room at the Rosewood. He thought you might like the historic aspect of it?”

_Of course he would._ “That’s fine,” she spoke up. “I’ll remind him next time that I’m a Holiday Inn Express kind of girl.”

The man laughed. “Good luck with that.”

They chatted amiably as he navigated through lunchtime traffic. Felicity wasn’t surprised to see different television and movie sets throughout the town. After Oliver indicated he’d be filming there, she did some research and realized just how much was filmed in the Canadian city.

When Diggle pulled up to the front of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Felicity felt her mouth fall open a little. Oliver wasn’t known for being subtle, but this hotel was _ridiculous._ She climbed out with William while Diggle grabbed her bag. “I’ll make sure you get checked in alright.”

The front desk must’ve been expecting them, because the concierge was incredibly accommodating. He went out of his way to make Felicity feel welcome and introduced her to the woman who would work as her personal concierge for the entirety of the weekend. _Stupid Oliver._

Diggle accompanied her upstairs to her room (which was actually a suite) so she could say goodbye to William in private. As Felicity hugged and kissed her son, she couldn’t help but notice how eager the little boy was to get away from her. It would’ve hurt more if she didn’t know how much he’d missed his father the last three weeks.

When the two of them finally left, Felicity set about exploring the room that was as big as the upstairs of her house. In the living area she found an edible fruit arrangement that’d been delivered that morning. There was a note attached.

_Felicity-_

_I don’t want to hear how the room is ‘too much.’ It’s what you deserve. Everything this weekend is on me - feel free to eat at the restaurant, use the spa, or order room service. I’ve instructed the hotel to give you whatever you want. You’ve already given me the best gift you ever could. Thank you for letting me have this time with him._

_Love, Oliver_

< \- - - >

> **TMZ** @tmz
> 
> BREAKING: Sources are reporting that @odearden is in Vancouver with his son RIGHT NOW. Developing…
> 
> **Susan Williams** @susan_williams
> 
> Based on a report by @tmz, it appears @odearden has a visitation with his child (It’s a boy!) this weekend. I wonder if the ex-gf is around.

 

**Felicity, 4:37p:** _HELP! I’m stuck inside a shop on Robson street bc of paps outside. Can you send John?_

**Oliver, 4:37p:** _What shop? OTW._

**Felicity, 4:37p:** _Lush… hurry, ppl in store taking cell phone out now. This is nightmare._

**Oliver, 4:38p:** _Be there in 10._

 

> **TMZ** @tmz
> 
> BREAKING: Our photog was there when @odearden’s PA/bodyguard rushed into @lushvancouver to rescue an unknown blonde. It’s the same blonde from the @spartangrille two months ago! Seems we’ve found his elusive baby mama! Click here for more.

Her phone was ringing. Felicity reached out, even though her eyes were still closed. When her hand hit the rectangular noise maker, she thought about tossing it across the room. Except it was Oliver. Which meant it was William. “Hello?”

“Did I wake you?”

“No, I’m awake.” Now she was, anyway. “What’s wrong?”

“I took William out on a boat to show him Whytecliff Park, which is where we’re shooting part of the movie, and he saw a bear. He’s completely freaked out. I tried putting him in my bed, but he wants you.” Oliver hadn’t wanted to call her, but there’d been no other choice. William had been crying for over an hour. He didn’t know what else to do.

“Let me talk to him?” Felicity pushed the covers off and got out of bed. She glanced at the clock. It was only 10:30, but past William’s bedtime.

“Momma?” William asked. “Can you come here?”

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Felicity changed her sleep shorts for yoga pants and her camisole for a long t-shirt. She ran a brush through her hair and pulled it back. “Daddy said you saw a bear.”

“Yeah. It was big.” He sniffed. “Momma, I want you to come here.”

“It’s your weekend with your Daddy, baby. You’ll see me tomorrow.” She tossed everything she’d need for the morning into her biggest tote.

“Please, Momma.”

Her heart squeezed. If she hadn’t already decided to go, his tiny, broken voice just then would’ve done it. “Okay, baby. Can you put your Dad back on the phone?” When Oliver came back on, Felicity said, “What’s the name on the complex you’re in? I’ll call an Uber.”

“I can send John,” he offered.

“I got it, Oliver.” Felicity pulled out her iPad and opened the app. “Look, someone will be here in five minutes. Your complex?”

“I’m at the Smythe,” he answered. “Thanks Felicity.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Later, the three of them were all piled into Oliver’s king-sized bed, watching a preview copy of _LEGO Justice_ on the TV mounted to the bedroom wall. William was in the middle, fast asleep.

“Was there really a bear?” Felicity asked.

Oliver laughed. “William swore there was. He was convinced it was going to eat him.” He looked over at her. “Why were you asleep at 10:30?”

“My life is exhausting,” she answered. “Working all day, chasing after William after work. Keeping this wall up between the two of us.”

“Why keep the wall up, then? If it’s so exhausting?” It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed. After that morning with Tommy, she’d become more distant than ever with him.

Felicity considered his question for a long time. Her eyes were trained on the TV screen, but her brain was turning his words over and over in her head. She thought about not answering him at all. But finally she said, “Because I can see the three of us being a family, Oliver. You, me, and William. And I _want it._ I want it so much. But I don’t trust that you’re not gonna skip out or randomly make out with some starlet on the red carpet some day or show up with your army of lawyers and take my son. So until you show me differently, I’m going to exhaust myself by holding that wall up.”

He didn’t have a response.

< \- - - >

“Excuse me, excuse me,” Felicity asked. She tucked her hand over William’s hand and pushed through the crowd outside her house. “Excuse me. I have no comment.”

“Ms. Smoak! What do you say to Susan Williams’ report that Oliver Dearden paid you five million dollars to have another baby?”

“No comment!” she responded.

“Is the boy even Oliver’s?” someone else called.

“Excuse me,” she responded. “I’m just trying to get inside.”

“Momma,” William whimpered. “I’m scared.”

“How long did you date, Ms. Smoak? I’ve heard you got lucky after a one night stand. Did you poke holes in the condoms?” The man reached for William’s leg, who responded by screaming.

“Do **NOT** touch my son!” Felicity swung around. “All of you are disgusting. I have no answers for any of you.”

“Ms. Smoak!” they all called.

“Get off my lawn before I call the police!” She stomped up her front stairs and jammed the key into the lock. Once she got inside, Felicity dropped William into the chair and hurriedly dug his iPad out of her purse. “Here, baby, watch your show.”

It was no surprise to her when he pulled up the animated _Green Arrow_ film. He’d been watching it nonstop since he’d been away from Oliver. Felicity busied herself with pulling down the blinds and closing the curtains in the house. She made sure the alarm was set and then went to pour herself a glass of wine.

What a terrible end to what had been a relatively nice weekend.

When her phone rang, Felicity knew it was Oliver before she looked. She just didn’t have the energy to talk to him right now. But still, she felt slightly guilty when she hit ignore and sent him to voicemail.

 From: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

To: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

Subject: Your Voicemail

 

Hi,

We got in okay, but the paps were waiting for us. I ended up having to call the police to get them off the lawn. I think they sent the newest guy they had, some poor kid named Officer Malone… I don’t know if it was effective or not. (He looked younger than Barry, and you know Barry looks like he’s about 16.) But the paps are gone for today.

William starts school on Wednesday (and then doesn’t go back again until the following Monday - something about a staggered start?), so we were planning to head out and do some supply shopping tomorrow with Thea. But I’m thinking maybe I need to hit up Amazon? It’ll be such a hassle having to deal with all of them.

About what you said on the phone… I don’t know, Oliver. It’s hard to give someone the benefit of the doubt when they’ve let you down again and again, you know? And I know I let you down, too. But we made a person and he has to be the most important person in this relationship. He has to be the one we don’t let down. I’ll think about it.

< \- - - >

Felicity looked over at Thea and smiled. “Leaving from QI was the best idea. Glad you thought of it.”

“Of course it was a great idea.” Thea looked back at Rob, the guard who would likely be accompanying Felicity and William from now on. “I’m full of good ideas.”

The blonde took a sip from her coffee. “And thanks for lending me Rob. I was starting to think I was going to have to pay Officer Malone to work for me off-the-clock.”

“Officer Malone?” Thea wiggled her eyebrows. “Who’s he? Spill, sister.”

“One of Quentin’s new hires. He’s like 25, so he’s a baby.” Felicity grinned. “He’s cute, though. In that soulful eyes, scruffy-face kind of way. Anyway, every time I call the cops because of the paps on my lawn, they send him out.” She laughed. “I think it’s trial by fire.”  

Thea wondered if Felicity realized she was also physically describing her brother, but she didn’t say anything. She was trying to let Oliver and Felicity work out whatever it was between them. “Why don’t you pass me William’s supply list? Let’s get that out of the way, then we can do some real shopping.”

“Absolutely,” Felicity agreed.

From: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

To: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

Subject: William’s first day

 

OH MY GOOGLE. LOOK AT THE PICTURES. HE IS SO CUTE. WE MADE THE BEST, MOST ADORABLE KID EVER.

~

From: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

To: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

Subject: Re: William’s first day

 

Thank you for sharing these with me. I will treasure them. I can’t wait to see him next weekend. I’ll Skype tonight so he can tell me about it.

I hope you’re well.  

< \- - - >

It took a lot for Felicity to agree to have coffee with Officer Malone. He’d asked her three separate times before she said yes, and even then it was only because William was in Vancouver that weekend with Oliver and Thea.

Billy was… nice. She knew Quentin thought highly of him, which was a motivating factor in saying yes to coffee. It also helped that he had a 3-year-old daughter with his ex-wife. So he understood that she’d always have a relationship with Oliver because of William.

Not that they talked about Oliver. He was the elephant in the room. He was the elephant in every room Felicity was in most days. She’d become incredibly aware of cell phone cameras and anything that could be used as a recording device. It seemed everyone was looking to make a buck. It also seemed she could no longer make Saturday morning grocery store runs or late-night ice cream binges because of wanna-be paparazzi. Everyone was watching and waiting for her to mess up.

Still, it was obvious to her that Billy wasn’t Oliver. There was nothing about him that made her angry or set her skin on fire. She didn’t feel any desire to introduce him to William (or any of her other friends, for that matter). He reminded her of powdered creamer—something she’d mix into her coffee in a pinch, but nothing like the whole milk or half-and-half she preferred.

Billy was something to pass the time with. Felicity wasn’t comfortable with the amount of time she filled up thinking about Oliver. Or texting Oliver. Or e-mailing Oliver. What started as something she did occasionally had turned into an everyday, multiple times a day habit. And the emails weren’t strictly about William, either. It was nice to share her thoughts and feelings with another person who wouldn’t judge her, and who seemed to actually care if she had a bad day or not. And Oliver would reciprocate and tell her about his days, too. Somehow they were managing to build a friendship.

To Felicity it felt slightly dangerous.

< \- - - >

Oliver swiped at his eyes, hoping Digg wouldn’t see him. It was getting harder and harder to let William go each time. And he had six more months of this. Listening to his son tell him about what he was learning in kindergarten had been rough. Listening to his sister tell him about Felicity had been rougher.

“What’s up, man?” Diggle asked. “You’ve got your thinking face on.”

“Is this even worth it?” Oliver voiced.

“Is what worth it?”

“All this?” Oliver gestured to the car and his clothes and their surroundings. “I’m giving up so much, and for what? So I can pretend to be somebody else day-in and day-out.”

“Oliver,” his friend sighed. “You know that’s not why you do what you do.”

“Isn’t it?” he asked, rhetorically. “I had no interest in running Queen Industries, so I decided to pursue acting. Fine, whatever. I also torched my family in the process, but I was a stupid kid and I didn’t care. My dad was…” Oliver trailed off, and sighed. “I think in his own twisted way my dad was trying to look out for me? Even if he disowned me in the end.”

“How is that looking out for you?” Diggle pulled the car into the underground lot at the Smythe. “That makes no sense.”

The actor shrugged. “I don’t know. But before that, before I… announced I had no intention of ever working for QI, my dad was awesome. We used to do things together all the time. I _loved_ spending time with him. You know, when I was a kid, he’d let me come to the office with him all the time. It was the only place I’d ever get to have soda.” Oliver smiled at the memory. “But something changed between us, and when I said I had no intention of following in his footsteps, it was the last straw.

“You know, he’s re-married now. Her name is Isabel and she’s my age.” Oliver laughed, humorlessly. “They live in New York. She does something with the New York Ballet. I have a little brother I’ve never met.” He unlocked his apartment and walked inside. Diggle followed.

“Why are you bringing this up?” Digg asked. “Are you thinking of reaching out to your Dad?”

Oliver shook his head. “No. My father made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with me last time I was in New York.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t ever want that relationship with William,” he continued on. “I don’t want to ever break him the way my father broke me.”

“Then don’t.” It was that simple. If Oliver didn’t want to hurt William, then he shouldn’t. “Look, man. I’m not saying you won’t _ever_ hurt him. We’re human and we disappoint each other. It’s what we do.” Diggle sat down and took the beer Oliver offered him. “But somehow I feel like this isn’t as much about William as it is about Felicity.”

“Thea says she’s dating someone,” Oliver admitted. “A police officer.”

“Hmmm.”

“What’s that mean?” the younger man asked. “Hmmm?”

“It explains this macabre mood you’ve had.” Diggle lifted an eyebrow. “When are you gonna man up when it comes to her?”

“I’ve tried,” Oliver defended. “Every time I get close she pushes me away again.”

“She’s scared, Oliver. She thinks you’re gonna bail when the going gets tough.” Diggle took a pull from his beer. “Besides Quentin Lance and Barry Allen, that’s what the men in her life do.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Felicity isn’t the only one who has skills with a computer,” Diggle joked. “I know people too.”

“So what do I do?” Oliver questioned. “I’m at my wits’ end.”

“You make a gesture and you keep showing up,” his friend responded.

“I’ve made gestures,” the actor responded. “I bought her a house!”

Diggle rolled his eyes. “No, you bought _you_ a house. You had someone find you the biggest, gaudiest, most expensive house for sale in all of Starling and you bought it. That house is not salvageable, Oliver. A gesture would be to have it razed and then let Felicity decide on what you’re going to build on the lot.”

“Huh.” He had a contractor working day and night on remodeling the house, but Oliver had never considered having it bulldozed and starting over from scratch. “I guess that’s something to consider.

“It’s a _gesture,_ ” Diggle told him. “And now, you have to show up.”

< \- - - >

From: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

To: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

Subject: Thanksgiving

 

William’s Thanksgiving play at school was tonight and like he told you on FT, he was one of the Pilgrims. My mom made his costume and I thought he was the cutest one there (of course!). They were all adorable. I’m sorry you couldn’t make it down to see it, but there’s about five copies of video floating around between myself, Iris/Barry, and your family that I’m sure you’re going to end up seeing. William has asked if he can bring his Pilgrim costume to Vancouver the next time he flies up so he can show you in person. That’s still next weekend, right? I’m planning to send him up with Barry, unless Thea or your Mom wants to take the ticket? Just let me know.

We’re splitting Thanksgiving this year- Thursday lunch with my family and then Thursday evening with yours (Moira insisted). Can you tell me how dressed up that’s going to be? I don’t want to show up in jeans and my favorite turkey sweater when everyone else is dressed to the nines.

Okay, I’ve attached the video for you to look at. Let me know how hard you laugh at the one thing (you’ll know the thing).

-f

P.s. when you call tonight, I need to tell you something. Don’t let me chicken out.

~

From: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

To: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

Subject: Re: Thanksgiving

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the video. It was the best and I really needed it. It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve seen his smiling face. (It was nice to hear your laugh, too.) I’d already received a copy from Thea, but it didn’t have the sweet message from William at the end that yours did. That made it all the better. Also, it’s not nice to laugh at kids dressed like turkeys who fall off the stage. Even when it’s hilarious.

About next weekend. Can’t you come? It’s been almost four months since I’ve seen you… I know the first time with the paps freaked you out, but it should be better now (I think). Why don’t you bring Iris with you (or Cait? or both?) and you can have a girls’ weekend while I hang out with William? I’ve seen Thea twice and Barry once, and that wasn’t really my intention with this arrangement…

Our family Thanksgiving’s are… like Sunday wear? I don’t know, we didn’t really go to church, but you probably don’t want to show up in your favorite turkey sweater (or do, I don’t care). I’m glad you’re getting to know my family while I’m up here. It’s good for my Mom. Every time I talk to her she mentions something she’s done with William. Raisa has his drawings on the fridge at the Mansion. I don’t know if Raisa kept my drawings on the fridge when I was a kid.

I miss you -o

P.s. We don’t have to talk about the thing. Thea already told me.

~

From: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

To: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

Subject: Re: Thanksgiving

 

……

Thea told you about…?

~

From: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

To: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

Subject: Re: Thanksgiving

 

The police officer. I don’t know what else you want me to say.

Is it serious?

~

From: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

To: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

Subject: Re: Thanksgiving

 

No. It’s… easy.

~

From: **Oliver Dearden** < [ ojdeardenq@gmail.com ](mailto:ojdeardenq@gmail.com)>

To: **Felicity Smoak** < [ fmsmoak@gmail.com ](mailto:fmsmoak@gmail.com)>

Subject: Re: Thanksgiving

 

Okay.

I think you know that I only want for you to be happy, Felicity. I think you also know that I care about you as more than just William’s mother. Until you give me more direction, I’m not going to push you or put any expectations on you. I’ve already made too many mistakes when it comes to you and I’m terrified of making more.

So this is me, telling you that I’m completely at your mercy. If you’re sure that you’re done with me—done with us—then tell me. Otherwise…

Despite everything, I can tell you for sure that you and me? It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be complicated and passionate and full of angst. Because you make me so mad sometimes that I want to scream and pull all of my hair out. But I’ve never regretted one minute I’ve spent with you.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

< \- - - >

Felicity smoothed her hands down her black skirt one last time before she rang the doorbell for the Queen Mansion. Since August she and William had been there a handful of times, and Moira had told her it was okay to show herself in, but Felicity didn’t feel right doing that.

“Momma?” William asked.

“Yes, baby?” She never moved her eyes away from the door.

“Will Raisa make me blini today if I ask?” He patted his stomach. “I’m not really hungry, but I could eat dessert.”

“We can ask, but Raisa might be too busy to cook blini for you.” Felicity leaned down and picked William up. She considered ringing the doorbell again, but thought better of it. They had to have heard it, but Raisa might be too busy in the kitchen to answer.

She reached for the knob and wasn’t surprised when it turned. “Hello?” she called. “Anybody home?”

“We’re in here,” Thea answered.

“Where’s here?” Felicity put William down and straightened his sweater. “Thea?”

The brunette stuck her head out of the sitting room. “Hey Felicity.” She grinned at William. “It’s my favorite nephew! Come ‘ere, I have a surprise for you!”

William wiggled his hand free and took off for his aunt, running despite a gentle reminder not too. Felicity was overwhelmed (as always) by the beauty of Oliver’s family home. She was content to look at the art, but when she heard William scream _Daddy!_ Felicity abandoned her perusal.

As quickly as her heels would carry her, Felicity made her way to the sitting room. She was _shocked_ to find Oliver on the couch, William held tightly in his arms. Felicity immediately felt her throat clog with tears. A flash went off from the side and she looked to see Thea holding a camera, a smile on her face. “How?” Felicity asked.

“He called last night and asked Mom if she would send the jet up. They have through Sunday off.” Thea smiled at the blonde. “Isn’t it great?”

Felicity nodded in agreement.

“Momma! It’s Daddy!” William reached back for her. “Come hug Daddy!”

She was aware of Thea leaving the room to give them some privacy. “Hi,” she murmured. Since his email two days prior, they hadn’t communicated. Oliver had basically declared his love for her and she hadn’t responded. “You’re here.”

“I’m here,” he agreed. Oliver reached out his hand. “Why don’t you come sit with us?”

Her fingers slid between his and Felicity allowed him to pull her down next to him. Oliver wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi.” Her senses were full of him. Felicity felt like her heart might beat out of her chest it was going so fast. She tried to focus on what William was telling him, but she couldn’t concentrate.

“We should talk,” she said suddenly. William frowned at her for interrupting his story.

“Now?” Oliver asked.

“I guess it can wait.” Felicity bit her lip. She didn’t know what to do. About Oliver. About Billy. She didn’t know what to do about anything, honestly.

Felicity didn’t know if she should listen to her head or her heart. They were telling her two different things. Her heart was telling her she might love this man beside her and that he might love her back. But her head… her head was reminding her to be practical. It was reminding her of the years she spent alone, stalking his social media accounts, wishing he was there with her and William.

It all came down to whether she could trust him or not. She trusted him with her son… but did she trust him with her heart?

* * *

So, a lot happened in this chapter. It covered about... 4 months? July (when Felicity's birthday is) until the end of November, so a lot should happen. Thoughts? (Also, I apologize about the formatting in this thing - it's a bit of a nightmare in some places.) 

 


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity makes a move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are. This is the last chapter - I'll put the epilogue up tomorrow or Thursday. But it's only about 1,000 words. I want to thank everyone who has read and commented throughout this process. I know I've worked up some feelings in some of you, and those of you are still here with me at the end I am forever grateful for. 
> 
> I'm glad to see this finished. I'm hoping to get back to my regularly scheduled writing now. :)

* * *

Felicity couldn’t sleep.

Oliver had been back in Vancouver for three days. And she still hadn’t worked up the nerve to tell Billy she didn’t want to continue whatever they were doing. She’d put off seeing him twice, citing family dinners both times. But the guilt was continuing to eat at her. Felicity knew she just needed to rip off the band-aid and tell him the truth. Even though she wasn’t sure what the truth was at this point.

And if not the truth, she needed to tell him that whatever they were doing wasn’t working for her any longer.

She wasn’t sure why she kept hesitating.

It wasn’t because of Oliver. They’d agreed nothing could happen between them until they were in the same place. After Thanksgiving dinner with his family, the two of them had a long talk about the issues between them. Trust was a major one. Both earning it and giving it. They also agreed that William was the most important person in both of their lives, and no matter what happened between them it couldn’t effect William in a negative way.

She was cautiously optimistic. For the first time they were on the same page regarding their relationship and William. Felicity was starting to feel something akin to hope bloom in her chest when it came to Oliver. It terrified her, but she was also going to trust Oliver. Since he’d re-entered her life almost five months before, he’d shown himself to be someone worthy of trust. Besides, she trusted him with William all the time and William was the most important thing in her life. But trusting him with William and trusting him with her heart were entirely different things. Felicity knew without a doubt that Oliver would never let anything happen to William, but when it came to her… His track record wasn’t stellar.

Because of his trip to Starling, his next weekend with William was pushed off for another week. He’d asked her to come up, but Felicity was still undecided. She was tempted to ask Iris and Cait to attend with her and make it a girls’ weekend in Vancouver. The three of them could get some holiday shopping finished, but the downside of going would be traveling with security. If she wasn’t at QI, Felicity had one of the Queen family bodyguards with her at all times because of over-aggressive paparazzi.

Which was another reason she’d put off seeing Billy. He didn’t deserve witnesses to his potential humiliation.

But maybe…

**Felicity, 11:58p:** _I don’t think you & I should hang out anymore. It’s just not working. I’m sorry._

Once the message was sent, Felicity had to fight the urge to text Oliver. They’d talked very little about Billy when he’d been home. It seemed that they’d both said what they needed to say in their email exchange before Thanksgiving when she called her relationship with him _easy._ When he said that what was between them would be anything _but_ easy, she’d been slightly relieved. Relationships weren’t meant to be easy. At least not relationships worth having. Those were supposed to be complicated and messy… and worth fighting for. None of those were adjectives Felicity would use to describe Billy. He was a simple man who made her feel simple things. She liked him, but Felicity already knew it would never turn into anything more. Meanwhile, Oliver was a man who made her heart speed up and her palms sweat just by walking into the room.

She double-checked her alarm and put the phone on her nightstand. It was after midnight and 6 a.m. would come early, so she might as well try to get some sleep. There would be time to overanalyze her feelings for Oliver later.

The next morning was a mess. Felicity quickly discovered the dress she wanted to wear was at the cleaners, along with her favorite skirt. When she finally settled on something to wear, she climbed in the shower to find that William had used all of her shower gel as bubble bath the previous night. She’d had to use her shampoo as a back-up and made a mental note to run by the drugstore that afternoon. William hadn’t wanted to go to school and by the time she’d cajoled him out of bed with the promise of pancakes, she realized that if she actually cooked said pancakes they’d both be late.

But he wouldn’t cooperate and agree to pancakes for dinner, so Felicity had finally given in and texted her supervisor that she was running late (at least there she had some leeway thanks to her connection to Moira Queen). Then she’d _burnt_ the pancakes. Twice. After that, she sat down and cried.

“It’s okay, Momma, I can eat them like this.” William reached for one of the charred circles and took a tentative bite. He tried to chew the burned batter, but spit it out. “Ew, it’s gross.”

Felicity used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears. There was no point crying over spilt milk… or burnt pancakes, as the case may be. “C’mon kid, we’ll get some McDonald’s on the way.”

The five-year-old jumped out of his seat. “Really? You mean it?”

She smiled down at him. “Yup. Just this once.” Felicity ruffled his hair. “Go grab your stuff.”

William was waiting for her at the door when she returned to the living room with her purse and laptop bag. His Batman book bag was hooked over his shoulders and he was bouncing on his toes. “Can I play in the balls, Momma?”

“We don’t have time this morning, Bud. We’re gonna run by for some breakfast and then I’m taking you to school.” She helped him buckle into his booster seat and then climbed behind the wheel. Felicity looked at him in the mirror. “Do me a favor and don’t tell your Daddy about this, okay?”

“Okay, Momma,” he agreed. “But it would just make Daddy laugh like last time when you burned the pancakes. You remember when he said he’d eat them anyway?”

“Yes, I remember.” Felicity rolled her eyes. It’d been before he left for Vancouver months ago. She’d been upset with him for leaving to shoot his stupid movie and Oliver was doing whatever he could to stay on her good side. Which included eating her cooking, because he was a brave, brave man. “Still, let’s keep this between the two of us.”

Felicity went through the drive-thru and got William a Sausage McGriddle and a hashbrown, which fulfilled her promise of getting him some pancakes. She ordered herself an egg and cheese on a bagel, plus coffee. Once she’d successfully put William’s orange juice into his cup holder they were on their way to his school. He needed a quick brush down when she got him out of the car, but she dropped him off just in time for calendar time on the carpet. William smiled and waved at his friends and walked away from Felicity without a care in the world. She didn’t even get a hug or kiss goodbye. It was weird sometimes how easily William had adjusted to letting each of his parents go. He didn’t seem to flinch when he said goodbye to either of them these days. Felicity wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Once she got back to her car, Felicity checked her phone. She frowned at the two missed calls from Billy and the texts he’d sent.

**Officer Malone, 9:08a:** _WTF. Not cool, breaking up with someone in a text._

**Officer Malone, 9:14a:** _Can we at least talk about this in person? I can come by your office this morning._

Felicity scrolled through her inbox on her phone and shook her head. There was no way she had time to sit down with him today.

**Felicity, 9:15a:** _I can’t. Bad morning, sorry. You’re not going to change my mind._

Upon arriving at QI, she went straight to the restroom on the first floor to check her clothes and make-up. She didn’t need anyone else to see her as flustered as she’d been when she left the house. Satisfied with her appearance, Felicity took the elevator to the twelfth floor. She greeted her assistant, Gerry, with a smile, and took the cup of coffee from him gratefully.  

She’d hardly been in her seat when her phone dinged with a new text message. Felicity rolled her eyes. The handful of dates they went on was not worth this trouble. They’d _barely_ held hands. She’d kissed him _on the cheek_.

**Officer Malone, 9:32a:** _I know this has something to do with Oliver Dearden and the kid you have with him. I can’t believe this is happening._

Felicity rolled her eyes at his dramatics. Billy had been less than interested in knowing anything about William since the beginning of their _relationship_ and he never wanted to share about his daughter, either. But suddenly he was all about his feelings? Unbelievable.

She pushed the intercom button on her phone. “Gerry?”

“Yes,” her assistant answered.

“I need you to call down to security and make sure that Officer Billy Malone can’t get up to my office, okay? He might also try William Malone. I’m not accepting phone calls or deliveries from him, okay?” She waited for his affirmative before she continued, “Listen, I have a metric ton of work to catch up on. I am too busy for anyone but Mrs. Queen, Mr. Steele, or William’s school. Understood?”

“What about Mr. Dearden?” Gerry questioned.

“Oliver would call my cell,” Felicity answered. “Unless he’s outside. Is he outside?”

“No ma’am. Just checking.” Jerry laughed. “What time do you want to eat lunch?”

“Is 1:30 too late?” She waved her still uneaten breakfast sandwich at him. “William and I made a pitstop this morning. It’s partially why I was late.”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll go at my regular time, then, and then remind you when I get back,” he explained. “I won’t interrupt you unless there’s an emergency.”

“You’re the best, Gerry.” Felicity released the intercom button and turned her attention to her email inbox. She skimmed it, putting flags on items she needed to get back to by the end of the day.

As much as she wanted to text Oliver and tell him about Billy, it needed to wait. They were on night shoots in Vancouver so he was likely sleeping, but even if he wasn’t she needed to wrap her head around what it meant first. There was no need to dive headfirst into something with Oliver. Their priority was William.

But one little text wouldn’t hurt…

“No,” she told herself. Work now, fun later.

She took her phone and put it in a drawer and picked up the top file in the tray on her desk. One of the night analysts had found some strange code planted in the firewall and left a note for her to look at it ASAP. When he’d taken the code out and rebooted the server, then went back and checked the code was still there but with small changes. At that point he’d escalated it to his supervisor, who escalated it to Felicity.  

Felicity frowned. There was something about the code she recognized, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Whatever it was, she planned to get to the bottom of it. It seemed like she’d found her project for that day.

By the time Gerry pulled her head out of the code for lunch, Felicity had pulled down the company firewall and put up a temporary one. She’d emailed the Director of IT and the VP of Technology to warn them about the intrusion into their security and indicated that they might be vulnerable to a hack, but she was working as fast as she could to build a patch. Whoever put the virus code in their system was good. But she was better.

Once she patched their existing firewall for the hackers’ code, she’d start updating the entire system from the ground up. Nothing would be implemented until the overnight hours of the weekend when the company was closed, but it was best if she took care of building and testing it now.

Gerry brought her a sandwich and chips from her favorite cafe, along with a soy vanilla latte from Starbucks. She took a long enough break to inhale the food and refuel with the coffee, and then she called her mother to ask if she’d be able to pick William up from school that day. Felicity already knew it was going to be a long day (and possible night) at her office, so it would be better if William spent the night with her parents. Donna agreed and promised to bring him by before she took him to school in the morning.

Her assistant left at his normal time with a reminder to not work all night and Felicity only nodded. She was about halfway through unraveling the code and identifying the hacker trying to get into their system.

The next time Felicity looked away from her tablet it was 7:30 at night. The sunlight was fading outside and her desk phone was ringing. She reached for it. “Felicity Smoak?”

“Ms. Smoak, this is Tom at the security desk. I have a dinner delivery for you.”

She frowned. “I didn’t order anything.”

Felicity listened as Tom explained to the delivery man. The blonde stood and tried to stretch the kinks from her back and shoulders. “He says a Mr. Dearden called it in? Said it’s all paid for, tip included.”

She smiled. “I’ll meet him at the elevator on my floor, Tom. Send him up.”

What a sweet, sweet man. Oliver must’ve talked to William and learned she was still at work and ordered her dinner. Felicity smiled fondly. He was trying and she appreciated it so much. When the elevator arrived, a deliveryman from Russo’s stepped out. “Felicity Smoak?”

“That’s me.” She eyed the bags in his hands. “I didn’t think you guys did delivery.”

He laughed. “We don’t, usually. This is a special order.”

Felicity shook her head. “I see.” She took the bags from him. “The tip has been taken care of?”

“Mr. Dearden was more than generous, Ms. Smoak.” He tipped his hat. “Have a nice evening.”

She could only imagine how much he’d paid them to deliver her something. And on a Wednesday, one of the busier eating-out nights of the week, too.

Upon returning to her office, Felicity sat the food on the small, round table she kept there for nights such as this. She went to her desk and dug her cell phone out. She had a handful of missed calls and texts, but nothing from Oliver. She decided the calls and texts could wait, but thanking him couldn’t.

Oliver answered on the second ring. “Something tells me you just got a dinner delivery.”

“I did.” Felicity smiled at his voice. “It’s from Russo’s, too.”

“Did I get the order right?” he asked. “I’ve only been there that one time with you, William, Cait, and Ronnie.”

“Close,” she answered. “You got a regular salad instead of a Caesar. But it’s no biggie and I’ll eat it. What’s important is that you remembered the lasagna.”

“Yeah, the lasagna was… memorable.” Or at least the sounds she made were. “Hey, hold on a second.” Oliver nodded to his make-up person and whispered that they could touch it up before filming started. “Okay, I’m here.”

“Do you need to go?” The blonde bit her lip. “If it’s a bad ti—”

“It’s fine,” he cut her off. “I don’t have to be on set for another hour, so we were just doing prep. I’ve got time.” He pushed out of the chair and walked over to his recliner. “Are you still at work?”

“Yes,” Felicity groaned. “It’s been the longest day.”

“William said you burnt the pancakes,” he teased. “Is that how it started?”

“That little traitor.” She took a bite of her salad and chewed. “No, it started when I discovered half of my clothes are at the cleaners. I planned to get them after work, but I guess that’s not happening… Then William used my shower gel as bubble bath last night. And _then_ I burnt the pancakes.”

“I see. That does sound bad.” He smiled. “But William said you got breakfast from McDonald’s, so it wasn’t all terrible.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “That and this right now are the two shining moments.”

Oliver frowned. “What else happened?”

“I got to work late, and then Billy—frak, I wasn’t going to bring him up.” She sighed. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I had all of this stuff about Billy and you and me swirling around in my head. The one thing I was sure about was that whatever I was doing with him was going nowhere.

“So I texted him and just ripped off the band-aid. But he wanted to _talk about it_ and asked if he could come by my office today. I said no, but he just… didn’t take the rejection very well.”  

“Is that something you should be worried about?” Oliver asked. “Him not taking it well?”

“I don’t think so,” she answered. Felicity frowned, even if he couldn’t see her. “I think he thinks you and I have been carrying on behind his back? Maybe? He brought you and William up, but I didn’t take the bait. I did have Gerry call down to security and tell them to not let him up if he stops in.”

“I see.” He didn’t know what she wanted him to say. “How do you feel now?”

She snorted. “I don’t know? I don’t feel like I ever intentionally led him on. We basically got coffee and walked around Target a couple of times, you know? It was never… serious. Not for me, anyway. I never thought it was for him either. I mean, we held hands and I kissed his cheek once or twice. For him to act like I hurt him this morning was a little shocking.”

“I don’t think you see yourself the way other people see you, honey,” he murmured. “You’re like the sun and you just pull people in with your gravity. So it doesn’t surprise me to find out that Officer Malone was hurt that you didn’t want to see him anymore. It also doesn’t surprise me that you don’t see yourself clearly at all.”

“Oliver,” she exhaled.

“If I were in his shoes, if I were that close to you, and you told me you didn’t want to see me anymore, I wouldn’t just be hurt, Felicity. I would be devastated.” He knew it was possible he was pushing her too hard, too fast, but she needed to know how he felt. If something were to happen to one of them, he didn’t want her to ever question his feelings or motives. “But I don’t want to pressure you into something you’re not ready for. So tell me about the rest of your day, yeah?”

Felicity nodded. “I’ve been dealing with a firewall breach since about ten this morning.” She closed up the food and carefully repacked it into the bag it’d come in. The rest would be her lunch tomorrow. “Listen, it’s not that I’m not ready. I want us to be together in the same place before we start something.”

“So what are you saying?” he asked.

“That even though I quote-broke up-unquote with Billy earlier, I don’t consider myself single.” She smiled into the phone. “And I’d be okay if you didn’t consider yourself single, either.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “But what’s that mean?”

“I think it means we go slow, and we keep it to ourselves for now.” She bit her lip. “If that’s okay?”

“Yeah, okay. But what about William?” Oliver asked. “Do you want to tell him?”

“He’s the last person I want to tell!” she laughed. “Once we tell William _everyone_ else will know. He can’t keep a secret if his life depends on it.” His laughter on the other told Felicity that Oliver knew exactly what she was talking about.

“That’s true,” Oliver agreed. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. “So the firewall breach? Are you going to be able to fix it?”

“Sure. That’s why I’m the best.”

He smiled. “You absolutely are.” Oliver glanced down at his watch. “I have to go. Will you text me when you get home tonight?”

“Yes.”

After she hung up, Felicity walked her leftovers to the staff refrigerator and then went back to her desk. Within 45 minutes she had the code removed and the firewall patched. She called Curtis Holt, the night analyst who’d found the original breach, and made him aware of what she’d done to solve the problem. Felicity instructed him to monitor the company firewall closely that night and call her if _anything_ suspicious popped up. Before she left for the evening she called her mother to check on William, but the little boy was already asleep.

On her way home she stopped by the corner bodega for a new bottle of body wash and some cheap wine. After her day she deserved both. Felicity was drawing a bath when she remembered her promise to Oliver.

**Felicity, 9:37p:** _Got home a little while ago. Have a good night._

Once she finished the bath, there was a message waiting for her. She smiled when she read what he’d written.

**Oliver, 10:22p:** _Sleep tight, beautiful._

As the days until Christmas approached, they continued to keep their secret from all of their friends and family. Oliver would video chat with William before his bedtime each night and then call Felicity once she texted the little boy was asleep. They would talk and laugh like teenagers until he was called to film a scene, and then she would crawl into bed with a smile on her face. Each morning she would wake up with a new text message from him wishing her a great day.

The visit to Vancouver in early December was turned into a girls’ weekend for Felicity (who couldn’t imagine passing up the opportunity to see Oliver, but didn’t want to face seeing him alone with just William), Iris, and Caitlin. Oliver paid for them all to stay in a suite at the Rosewood and covered their expenses at the spa. Felicity refused to share any of their dinner plans with him, as she was sure he would’ve called ahead to the restaurants with his credit card number to pre-pay for their meals. Both Iris and Caitlin teased her about her _sugar daddy_ but Felicity took their comments in stride. Neither of them seemed to suspect what was really going on, or if they did they didn’t comment.

While they were north of the border, the three women did holiday shopping for their families (and friends) who were back in Starling (or, Central City). Felicity did a lot of browsing, and bought a couple of small things for her family, but she never found anything she wanted to give Oliver. The three women met up with Oliver and William once, for lunch, and Felicity felt like a schoolgirl with her first crush as she held his hand beneath the table. When she couldn’t hold his hand, their thighs were pressed together completely and their feet were intertwined. She tried to keep her eyes to herself in order to not bring attention to them. Before they left the restaurant, Caitlin and Iris went to the restroom and she and Oliver were able to exchange a hug. With William there he’d only been able to whisper _hello, love_ into her ear, but it was enough that Felicity smiled for the rest of the day.  

After that weekend, William was only in school two-and-a-half weeks before he got out for Winter Break for another two-and-a-half weeks. Oliver would also have a break from filming, but only for ten days. On a whim one night, they decided that Felicity and William would fly up for the four days before his filming hiatus would begin and they’d spend all that together. Instead of William staying with Oliver in his apartment and Felicity staying in a hotel, they all stayed together at Oliver’s place. It was the first official test of their relationship regarding William. The first night Oliver slept on the floor of William’s bedroom, as he’d done at Felicity’s house. But the second night, he put William to bed and stayed up with Felicity. The next morning, William discovered them both asleep in Oliver’s big bed (fully clothed). Initially, the little boy was hesitant to allow Felicity into the home he’d built with his father. He considered the time they spent together special and sacred, but once they allowed him to crawl between them and cuddle he was more accepting of the change.

When they told him they were going to _try to be in a relationship together_ William was ecstatic. He’d asked the Santa that Aunt Thea took him to see if he could make his parents love each other, and it seemed like his Christmas wish had come true. Things were better when his Momma and Daddy liked each other versus when they were mad at each other, at least as far as William could tell. If they were mad at each other neither one of them were as fun to be around. But when they laughed and talked to each other, then they wanted to laugh and play with him. As far as William could tell, they’d been like that since his Daddy had surprised them at Thanksgiving.

Oliver’s greeting upon returning to Starling was pretty standard. His mother and Thea were both thrilled to see him. Raisa doted over him and promised to _fatten him up_ , even though he’d gained 15 pounds of muscle since he’d started the GA film. His first night at the Mansion was weird, though, as he lay in the room that’d been his since childhood. He tossed and turned and struggled to fall asleep, and he couldn’t figure out why.

He’d done all of his usual before bed tasks. He’d video chatted with William and talked with Felicity. But as he lay there, he still couldn’t turn his brain off. Something was weird. And then it hit him.

**Oliver, 11:37p:** _You awake?_

**Felicity, 11:37p:** _Yeah, this feels weird._

**Oliver, 11:38p:** _It’s bc I’m here & you’re there. OMW._

When he slipped into bed beside her half an hour later, Oliver had no trouble falling asleep. Felicity’s hair was spread across his chest and her warm breath was against his neck, but it felt _right._

They agreed to not exchange gifts that year, both opting to focus on William instead, but Oliver couldn’t get John Diggle’s words from months before out of his head. Felicity deserved a _gesture_ and she needed to know that he was going to _keep showing up_. So it was time for him to prove that to her.

He arranged for Donna and Quentin to watch William for several hours on Christmas Eve, and instructed Felicity to dress warm for when he picked her up.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise,” he teased.

“I hate surprises,” Felicity grumbled.

Oliver pulled her Subaru into a paved driveway and grabbed the piece of paper between the seats. He reached in the back and got a flashlight. “We’re here.”

“Where?” She frowned. “An empty field. With a concrete driveway?”

“Come on, I’ll show you.” He walked around the car and opened her door. “Careful, it might be slippery.”

Felicity followed behind him, right to where he’d laid out a blanket and a basket. “Are we having a picnic?”

“Sort of.” Oliver used the flashlight to turn on the industrial light he’d borrowed from the construction crew. “This is where the foundation of the house I bought used to be.” He saw Felicity look around, her eyes wide. “I had them bulldoze the whole thing.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “You hated that house. You said you’d never live there.”

“Oliver,” she gasped.

“I thought... “ He smiled at her. “I thought you might like to decide the type of house we’re going to live in.” Oliver held out the paper to her. “It doesn’t have to be today, or tomorrow, or anytime soon. But when you’re ready, I thought you would want to have your say.”

“What about you?” Felicity asked.

“You could decide to pitch a tent out here, and as long as there’s room for me and William I’ll go with it. So long as I’m with the two of you, I’m home.” Oliver stepped forward and kissed her gently. “Do you understand?”

She smiled through her tears. “Yes.”

< \- - - >

When Oliver had given her carte blanche permission to build what she wanted, Felicity wasn’t sure if he meant it. She loved her little house in her little neighborhood, but it was clear after they went public with their relationship they needed something with more security and privacy. If not for them, then for William. He deserved more than going to school with a guard everyday. It was devastating enough when he’d had to change schools in the middle of the year. It was worse that he and his mother, plus John Diggle (who had been reassigned to bodyguard duties), had to fight their way through paparazzi every morning outside of the private school he now attended.

Felicity had finally decided on something European in design. It fit in the neighborhood, but also accommodated her more traditional leanings. Oliver had simply nodded in agreement and called the contractor. He was more concerned with state-of-the-art security and their family being safe than the style of house they lived in. Once, in the middle of some crisis or another, he’d told her he’d live in an igloo if she and William were there. She’d given him sex that night, but what woman wouldn’t have?

For months Felicity obsessed over things like the number of bedrooms (would five be enough? or should they have a sixth just in case?) and bathrooms (seven? or eight?), whether she wanted a formal dining room or not (she didn’t, but Moira convinced her it was necessary), and the mother-in-law suite (which was _hard_ because Donna Lance and Moira Queen were as different as night and day). Felicity immersed herself in marble versus granite, the exact number of windows the house would have (and who was going to clean all of those windows?), and an indoor chlorine pool versus indoor saltwater pool (Felicity’s concern was William—how did they keep him _out_ of either type of pool).

It was _exhausting_. And it wasn’t that Oliver didn’t help, because he did, when he wasn’t away. He’d already promised her he wouldn’t shoot any new movies beyond what he’d already committed himself to, but he still had other obligations. There were Comic-Cons and other promotional appearances, plus days when he would have to fly to who-knows-where to do press for something he had coming out. She tried her best to be supportive, but Felicity was overwhelmed. She had her job at QI, plus William, plus her relationship. And added to that the stress of trying to keep the press _out_ of their relationship. Every other week she saw some tabloid or another reporting how Oliver was leaving her for Laurel Lance (who was dating Tommy Merlyn, of all people).

She needed a break.

On a whim she packed a bag and dropped William off at her parents’ house for the weekend. Ronnie was on another recruiting trip and Caitlin had invited her down, so Felicity was going to take advantage of it. The house was almost 90-percent complete, so she could let the contractors handle anything that came up. And she was just a phone call and a quick trip away. Oliver would be out of town until the following Tuesday because of previous commitments, so she wouldn’t be missing out on spending time with him either.

Felicity should’ve known something was up when she got to Caitlin’s and Iris was there. She’d spoken to her other best friend before she left and the woman hadn’t mentioned it.

Iris just smiled and hugged her. “Your weekend trip sounded so fun I decided I’d join in. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, of course not.” Felicity returned the hug. “I’m just surprised to see you. Where’s Bear?”

“I left him on his own this weekend.” Iris released her and stepped back. “So I have everything planned out.” She pulled out a bottle of tequila. “Let’s get this weekend started out right!”

Felicity groaned. “Tequila shots?”

“Just one,” Caitlin said. “Then we’ll get some dinner. And shopping!”

Dinner and shopping sounded great. And maybe a mani-pedi if they could find a place that would take the three of them without appointments. Felicity took the shot glass and tipped it back. “To good friends.”

“Best friends!” the other two agreed, and knocked theirs back.

The three women went to dinner at a favorite place of theirs—the same place Barry had taken Felicity when she was home one weekend from MIT. At the time she had no idea it was to make Iris jealous. Now it was something they could all laugh about, but that wasn’t the case for a long time.

After dinner they hit the smaller boutiques Central City was known for. Felicity was only browsing, not intending to buy anything, as most of these places were out of her price range. Oliver had added her onto his Black AmEx months prior, but she never used it. It wasn’t that he would care (he’d probably be thrilled, honestly), but she felt weird. They weren’t married and while they now split things when it came to household expenses and William, Felicity wasn’t certain how she felt about him buying her pricey dresses and jewelry.

“Look at this, Felicity.” Iris held up a two piece dress. The top was red lace and the bottom was a poofy white tulle skirt that would hit her below the knees. “Do you like?”

“It’s pretty,” she agreed. “But I’m not looking to buy anything today.”

“You should try it on,” Caitlin encouraged. “You know Oliver loves you in red.”

That was true, he did. “Guys,” she protested.

“It won’t hurt to try it,” Iris told her. She took the two items to a shop assistant and asked for a room to be opened. At that point Felicity felt she had no point but to comply.

“I don’t even know where I’d wear this!” she called. Felicity studied herself in the mirror. It was pretty. She hadn’t looked at the tags yet, but she was sure the blouse and skirt combo would cost a few hundred dollars at least. “And what about shoes?”

“It’s perfect for the Fourth,” Caitlin answered. “Plus, you can wear any kind of shoes. You wore those purple heels down yesterday. Those would go fine.”

“Come out so we can see you,” Iris told her. “I bet you look beautiful.”

She opened the door and smiled. Despite her protests, she really did like it. She liked the pieces together and she liked them individually, as they would pair with other pieces of her wardrobe easily. “What do you think?”

“You’re stunning,” Caitlin answered.

Iris nodded in agreement. “If you don’t buy it, I’m buying it for you.”

“I’m getting it, don’t worry.” Felicity smiled at both of her friends. “But we’re getting mani-pedis next, okay? No more clothes.”

“Agreed,” they said in unison.

The next morning Felicity woke up to find Caitlin’s apartment completely empty. She frowned. Where did they go? It was Saturday and they’d agreed last night to make their plans today. She walked around the apartment, calling their names, or checking for a note.

“Weird.” But they’d probably just gone out to get breakfast, or something. It wasn’t a big deal.

Felicity readied to get in the shower and frowned when there was a knock on the door. She glanced down at her pajamas and reached up to pat her hair. It was likely someone looking for Caitlin or Ronnie, so she might as well answer it and let them know they weren’t home.

Whoever it was knocked again. “Coming!” she called. There was a bike messenger waiting for her. “Felicity Smoak?”

She frowned. “That’s me?”

He held out a tablet. “Sign here.” She scribbed her name in exchange for an envelope. “Have a great day.”

Once she shut the door, Felicity tore open the envelope and was surprised when an invitation fell out.

 

_Quentin and Donna Lance are Pleased to Announce the Wedding of their Daughter_

 

**_Felicity Megan Smoak_ **

_to_

**_Oliver Jonas Dearden_ **

 

_Today, at 1:30 p.m., in Central City, California_

_at the Central City Zoo_

 

“What?” she asked. Felicity looked around the apartment. Her phone was still in the guest bedroom, so she went to retrieve it and call Oliver. He picked up on the first ring. “Oliver!”

“Hey, honey.”

“Oliver, I just got this—”

“A wedding announcement, I know.” He was completely calm. “Who do you think sent it?”

“I don’t understand what’s happening,” she answered. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

He laughed. “I think I’ve already done that, babe. I’m asking you to marry me _today._ ”

“We said we were going to wait until the house was finished,” she reminded him. “And have a big party, get married then.”

“We can still do that,” Oliver agreed. “If you want. Today will just be a practice run… What’s it called? A rehearsal?”

“But all the people—”

“Fuck ‘em,” he interrupted. “If you want to wait, then we’ll wait.”

“I don’t have a dress.” Felicity looked over the invitation again. “Oliver this is in _five hours_!”

“Calm down, honey. All you would have to do is show up. Everything is taken care of,” he promised. “The food, the flowers, the guests.” Oliver smiled. “And you do have a dress. Iris said—”

“That little sneak—” The blonde felt herself start to breathe again. “Can you send them back up, wherever they disappeared off to? If I’m marrying you in five hours, then I need to look my best.”

“Baby, I’d marry you right now, mussed as you are in your pajamas with drool on your face.”

She reached up to her lips. “How do you know?”

“I just do.” He laughed gently. “You’ll be there?”

“I wouldn’t miss for the world. I love you.” She clicked off her phone just as Iris and Cait re-entered the apartment. Both women were smiling ear-to-ear, and when the three women saw each other, they all started screaming and ran to give each other hug.

“I’m getting married today!” Felicity screamed.

John Diggle got them to the Zoo at 1:18. He kissed her cheek and then told her he’d _see her up there_. Felicity took that to mean he’d be standing up with Oliver. She smiled at him and nodded.

She knew that brides were supposed to have nerves or butterflies or something on their wedding day, but she felt none of that. Maybe it was because she’d only learned about it hours previous. But Felicity liked to think it was because she was marrying Oliver. After all they’d been through in the last year and a half, she was _sure._ When they’d started their journey together almost a decade before (had it really been that long now?) neither of them knew it would lead here, but here they were together.

Quentin was waiting for her at the end of an aisle littered with flower petals. Iris and Caitlin had just walked before her and taken their places next to where she would stand. “Are we ready?” she asked.

“Almost,” Quentin told her.

“Hi, Momma,” William whispered. He reached down and took her left hand. “You look beautiful.”

Her baby boy had gotten so big. It was hard to believe he was seven years old now. “I’m so glad you’re here, William.”

When the music started, the three of them started down the aisle. Oliver was waiting for them, tears shining in his eyes. Tommy was standing behind him, and then John behind Tommy. Felicity handed her bouquet to Iris and leaned over to kiss Quentin. William switched to her right side so that he was standing between Oliver and Felicity.

The officiant smiled before she began. “Today we’re here to have a celebration. Not a celebration of a wedding, but of love, and friendship, and family. Today we’re here to have a celebration of a marriage. We’re here to celebrate two people who are in it forever.

They’re standing here, in front of everyone they know, in some of the best clothes they own, being stared at because they want to share their love with all of you. Because love is the one great unifier that we all share. It brings us all together and we all know that no matter where we come from and no matter what we believe, love is the one thing we’re doing right. Loving each other is the thing the human story so different from every other story. So I’ve asked for Oliver and Felicity to share with each of you a bit of their story, today. Oliver?”

“Felicity,” he choked out. Oliver shook his head and smiled. “Let me try that again. Felicity, if I’d known the night that I walked into some rundown bar eight years ago that you and I would be here today I would’ve run the other way. Or at least the guy I was back then would have. It’s no secret that I wasn’t ready for you. I wasn’t ready for you two years ago when I disrupted your life with William, but I’m so glad that I did. You are the very best part of me and I’m a better human being just because I’ve known you. I know now that you’re my always and I’m grateful every day that you gave me the opportunity to be yours.”

“Felicity?”

She reached up to wipe at her eyes. “Oliver, I love you. Not only do I love you, but I’m grateful that you and I got a second chance at being a family. Sometimes I think about where I would be right now if you hadn’t knocked on my door that day in July. And while I think I might be okay, I would never know what adventure I was missing out on. Now I can’t imagine a life without you in it. Without your voice, without your laugh, or your sweet smile, and definitely not without your love when it comes to me or William. I’m so glad that you love me.”

“Thank you Oliver, Felicity.” The officiant looked out into the crowd. She saw a lot of people smiling through their tears. “We’re all here today because we want many more moments—both big and small—for you and your family. And by being here we’re all making a promise to you that we will help you along the way, whenever you need it. We will remind you why you’re up here promising to love each other forever.” She looked down at them. “Oliver, are you ready to say your vows to Felicity?”

“Yes.” He reached inside of his suit jacket. “I tried to write something down, but my thoughts were all a mess.” Oliver smiled at his soon-to-be-wife. “Please just know that everywhere you go, I want to go. If you lead, I’ll follow, for the rest of my days.”

She nodded. “Me too. But I’d rather you walk beside me instead of behind me.”

“The view from behind is much better,” Oliver quipped. When the crowd laughed he grinned out at them. “Sorry.”

“Oliver, do you take Felicity to be your partner in all things, to be your best friend, to go on adventures with her, and provide support to her through all of life's tough moments?”

“I do.”

“Felicity, do you take Oliver to be your partner in all things, to be your best friend, to go on adventures with him, and provide him support through all of life's tough moments?”

“I do.”

“Are there rings?” the officiant asked.

“I have them!” William answered. He dug into his pocket and produced two shiny platinum bands. “I didn’t lose them, Daddy!”

“Good job, kiddo.” Oliver ruffled his hair. He plucked the two rings from William’s hand. He kept the smaller one for himself and handed Felicity the larger.

“Will you, Oliver and Felicity, be partners from this day forward? Will you strive to bring out the best in each other and grow in your love together from one day to the next for the rest of this lifetime?”

“We do,” they answered in unison. They took turns sliding the rings on. The crowd laughed when Oliver’s became stuck on his knuckle and Felicity started to grumble. When it finally slid on, she threw her hands up in the air.

The officiant smiled. “By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you married. Please kiss your bride.”

And he did.

* * *

I noticed there was some pushback concerning the house in the previous chapter. [Here](http://www.wearefound.com/elegant-and-romantic-victorian-house-style/victorian-house-with-stone-wall-cladding/) is the house that Oliver bought, originally. You can see why Felicity might object. (As Diggle described it - the biggest, gaudiest house for sale in all of Starling.) [This](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/22630-Woodway-Park-Rd-Woodway-WA-98020/38476183_zpid/) is what Felicity built/designed for them after he had the original razed. 

Also, I pictured her getting married in something similar to [this](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0939/8964/files/30_grande.jpg?5492386622413541394) but with a shorter, tulle skirt. And Oliver in a navy suit. 


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it's finished!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has read & commented. Special thanks to MISSYriver who held my hand through this. Love you. :)

* * *

Felicity didn’t know what to do with her hands. Instinct told her to put them in her lap, but she was afraid to wrinkle her dress.

The last thing she wanted to do was look wrinkled in photos. She caught enough slack from the press and online commenters during the last eighteen months from people who thought she wasn’t good enough for Oliver as it was.

From people who thought he should _ditch the blonde_ or _trade her in for Laurel Lance._ Felicity knew without a doubt that her husband loved her, but those comments hurt.

“Don’t be nervous,” Oliver whispered. He linked their fingers and brought their hands to his mouth. “You look stunning.” Those words were whispered against the back of her hand before he pressed a kiss there. “Everyone will be jealous of me.”

“Are you sure tonight’s the right night?” she asked. “To tell everyone?”

“About our marriage?” Oliver paused. “It’s been ten months, Felicity. They’re going to discover it sooner or later.”

“Why not just tip TMZ off, then?” the blonde reasoned. “We wouldn’t have to answer so many questions then.”

He laughed. “If I didn’t know how much you hate those guys, I’d think you were serious.”

“I _am_ serious,” she responded. “Oliver—”

“I’m beginning to think you’re ashamed of me,” he teased. “It’s time. It’s not a secret, babe. People know, and I’m shocked it hasn’t gotten out honestly. I want to wear my wedding ring and I want you to wear yours. On your finger, not around your neck.” Oliver shook his head. “I love you. I love William. I love our life. And I’m going to love this new baby, too. It’s time that people know.”

Felicity studied his face. When they’d decided months ago they were going to announce they were married at the premiere of his movie, she’d been nervous, but she’d agreed. When Dr. Schwartz confirmed she was pregnant with Baby Number Two, Oliver still felt it was best to stick with their plan. At sixteen weeks she was out of the first trimester and it was safe to confirm to the masses, so Felicity had hesitantly agreed. But as the day got closer she’d become more and more nervous. And she knew if she put up a fight, Oliver would give in.

But why?

“We give them this, and then no more.” Felicity tightened her grip around his hand. “You make sure Tommy makes that clear. When we’re in Starling we’re at peace. No stalking William, no stalking me when I go to the grocery store. We’re just a normal family going about our normal lives, okay? And in exchange, we’ll… We provide limited access.”

“What’s that mean?” he frowned. It’s not like they could control the paps.

“I mean, we’ll give them pictures and interviews once a year or something. I mean it, Oliver. If they come close to us again, I will shut them all down. All of their equipment is digital and connected to the cloud. You know I can do it.”

He grinned. “You’re so hot when you go all Mama Bear.”

“Rowr.” He leaned forward to kiss her, but she only let him have a peck. “Don’t muss me up.”

The car they were in pulled to a stop. “We’re here.” Oliver smiled at her. “You’re beautiful.”

His door opened and Oliver stepped out. He reached a hand back inside and she took it gratefully. “C’mon, Mrs. Dearden.” Felicity smirked at the name, but didn’t comment. They’d had many long conversations over her desire to keep her own identity and not become known as _Oliver Dearden’s wife_. She’d worked too hard in her life to lose herself to him.

“Oliver!”

“Oliver!”

“Felicity!”

“Over here!”

The camera flashes were a bit disorienting, but Oliver kept his hand on her back the entire time. He put on his Hollywood smile and walked to a journalist he recognized—someone from _The Hollywood Reporter_. “Hello, Jeanine.”

“Oliver,” she greeted him. Her attention moved to Felicity. “Ms. Smoak.”

“It’s missus, actually,” Oliver interrupted. His hand ran up Felicity’s back. “Felicity Smoak-Dearden. It took a while to convince her to agree to the name change.”

“Are you saying that—” Jeanine’s eyes went to his left hand that shifted on Felicity’s waist. “You’re **married**?”

Her question rippled down the press line and all eyes turned to them. There was quiet for a moment and then the barrage of questions began again, along with camera flashes.

“We can skip this,” Oliver whispered. “Let’s go inside.” He reached down for her hand and started to guide her through the maelstrom.

Once they were inside, Felicity gave a genuine laugh. “That’s it? That’s all you were planning?”

“What else would you have me do?” He studied the straps of her dress and wondered how complicated it would be to get them undone and redone before the movie started. “I told them exactly what they needed to know.” Oliver fingered the strap that went across her collarbone. “You’re officially off the market.”

“Oliver,” she giggled. “What’s the studio going to say? And Tommy?”

“Fuck ‘em.” Oliver reached for her hips and started to guide her backwards. “Besides, I did more to promote the movie just now than they could’ve dreamed of.” He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her neck. “There is nothing better than a man who is desperately in love with his wife.”

“Are you now?” Felicity tilted her neck.

“In love with you?” he whispered. “Desperately.” Oliver kissed up to her ear. “The fact that you found a dress the same green as the GA suit is kind of turning me on, too.”

She groaned. “Do we have to stay for this movie? I figure we can always catch it on Blu-Ray. I know a guy.” Felicity turned her head and caught his lips. “It’s not often we get a night alone without William.”

Oliver chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”  

< \- - - >

From: **Tommy Merlyn** < [ tmerlyn@repsbymerlyn.com ](mailto:tmerlyn@repsbymerlyn.com)>

To: <undisclosed-recipients>

 

Subject: Oliver Dearden

_Mr. Dearden would like to announce his marriage to Ms. Felicity Smoak. They were married last July in a private ceremony in Central City. As you are aware, Mr. Dearden and Mrs. Smoak-Dearden already have a 8 year old son. They are pleased to announce that this winter they anticipate the arrival of a new child to their family. When the new little one arrives, Mr. Dearden will be taking a one-year hiatus from any new movies in order to devote time to being with his family. However, he still plans to fulfill any contractual obligations to which he is already committed. Mr. Dearden and his family thank you for respecting their privacy at this time. There will be no further statements issued._

* * *

When I started this fic, I made the summary, "Life happens fast, but we live through it slow." Other than being something one of my favorite soap characters said a million years ago (seriously, I have a thing for guys with sandy blond hair who wear leather jackets & ride motorcycles) I've always taken it to mean that in life, we're forced to make decisions quickly (sometimes instantly) and those decisions can reverberate for years to come. Both Oliver & Felicity made a lot of decisions in this fic - a lot of decisions you all didn't agree with - but they had to live with them, without knowing what the consequences would be. Because this if fic they got a HEA anyway. I tried to keep them as in-character as possible, but still keep you all interested and wanting more. I hope that was accomplished. I'm glad to mark this one down in the finished column so I can get back to writing my  _Period_ fic. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my little story. 

 


End file.
